A Sun's Devilish Maid
by pain17ification
Summary: Stranded in an unfamiliar world, yet aided by a compassionate Sun, a devilish woman finds herself choosing to become his maid. As the Sun grows up as a ninja of the Leaves, the Devilish Maid helps him grow into his potential, and finding herself loving him in the process. With these feelings and this bond she has with this Sun, will she want to leave him? Naruto/Grayfia story!
1. Chapter 1: An Act of Kindness

**Hi everyone! Here I am with a new Naruto/DxD crossover!**

 **In truth, a story by** _ **Just Four One**_ **titled "Shades of Gray" helped inspire this creation! The story pairing, thanks to the inspiration, will be Naruto Uzumaki and Grayfia Lucifuge!**

 **As with all of my FanFiction stories, I own nothing!**

* * *

 _A Sun's Devilish Maid_

 _Chapter One: An Act of Kindness_

* * *

He had finally arrived. His heart was racing at how close he had been to getting caught, but he had still succeeded in making it to this place with the Sacred Scroll of the village. Now, all he had to do was wait for his teacher to arrive so that he could finally become a Genin.

Looking back towards the heart of the village, the young teen hummed thoughtfully. He had been able to get away nearly unseen, having to resort to a cheap – yet strangely effective – tactic against the Hokage. Who knew the kind old man the village looked up to for wisdom and guidance was also a pervert?

Still, he didn't feel like belittling his good fortune. And it was still pretty early until the allotted time he was supposed to meet his teacher. Pulling the scroll off of his back, his blue eyes looked to it in a scrutinizing manner. What was so important about this particular scroll?

His curiosity got the better of him, and he opened it to take a peek. The first thing he saw was a jutsu; a technique that ninja were able to use. It was a clone technique, and he pouted at the sight. After all, it was a clone technique that he failed to do, which is why he was taking this make up test.

But, he gave it a closer look. Unlike the one taught in the Academy, this clone technique made solid clones and required a greater deal of chakra; the energy that ninja used and everyone had within them. It amazed him that it only required a single handseal, which was in the form of crossed fingers in an addition symbol.

Giving it a try, he copied the illustration of the handseal and concentrated, bringing out his chakra while whispering, "Shadow Clone Jutsu."

A faint popping sound was heard and he kept his eyes closed. He had little hope that it had worked, which was why he had also whispered instead of declaring the jutsu. Cracking open one of his eyes, he took note of a perfect copy sitting across from him. Both of his eyes opened fully as he took in his own copied appearance.

From the feet up, he saw blue ninja sandals, orange pants that were quite large and held together by a black belt, an equally orange shirt with blue on the shoulders and a thick white collar, and the swirled tassel that old man Hokage had given to him when he first started the Academy. On the copy's face, he saw his whisker birth markings, bright blue eyes with a hint of violet in them, and his sunny blonde hair that spiked erratically. The copy was perfect, right down to the smudge mark he had earned earlier that day on his chin.

"Whoa," he gasped. "It worked?"

"Looks like it, Boss," the clone replied, poking the original to prove it was solid. "That was easy."

"But why did this clone come out easier than the Academy one?"

The clone shrugged. "No clue."

They would've continued to speak, but a sudden crashing sound and heavy thud caught their attention. Without a second's hesitation, both the teen and his clone rushed over to where they thought the source was. Once they arrived, both of them had shocked and concerned looks on their faces.

* * *

She winced as she held her side, putting pressure on a gash she had earned from an opposing devil. With narrowed eyes, she sent a burst of power at her opponent, freezing the devil in place before she destroyed the frozen statue it had become.

It was civil war in the Underworld and she had chosen to join the side that held fresh faces. The Four Satans were being pushed back by the younger devils, having grown complacent during their reign. Leading the younger devils was a man named Sirzechs who the woman believed would become a great Satan.

The battle was nearly over and all but Lucifer had been defeated. She winced again and stumbled slightly, keeping her balance as she moved over to her comrades. Her vision was growing dim and she couldn't hear what was being said, but she could still feel the energy in the air, and it was growing. She forced her eyes open wider as she saw Lucifer pull out a strange crystal with a glowing core, and she grew concerned at the grin on the Satan's face.

Seeing that everyone else was on their last legs, she knew that the chances of evading whatever that crystal was were dropping. So, when Lucifer finally threw the crystal – his target being Sirzechs – her mind forced her body to act. She summoned her devil wings, having them flap as hard as they could so that she could fly towards the young devil leader and shove him out of the way.

The look of shocked surprise on his face was equal to that of Lucifer, and no one was able to do a thing as the crystal exploded right in front of the devil woman and engulfed her in swirling colored smoke. The swirling grew in force, become a maelstrom that pushed everyone back, and when it cleared…she was gone.

The next thing she knew was being flung across a sea of swirling colors and lights, nearly blinding her while the pull of the space kept her from struggling. A bright light was seen, getting bigger as she approached and her eyes were forced closed as it engulfed her.

Once the light died down, she felt her body hit and break through some tree branches before finally landing on a grassy field with a heavy thud. The rough landing had proved to be the last straw, and she fell unconscious.

* * *

The teen took note of the strangely dressed woman that was beaten and bloody lying on the ground, with a particularly deep cut on her side. Wary, he and his clone stood next to her and pulled out kunai knives, scanning the area visually for any sign of an assailant. For a full and tense minute, they kept their eyes peeled before slowly relaxing their guards. Whoever had attacked this woman wasn't around anymore, if at all.

Turning back to her, he saw that her breathing was heavy, as if she was struggling to draw breath. His concern grew and it overshadowed his desire to wait for his teacher. However, he couldn't take the scroll with him since it would be taken the wrong way.

"Hey, wait here for Mizuki-sensei to show up," he ordered his clone, handing the scroll over to it. "I'm gonna take this woman back home to try and patch her up."

The clone nodded as it took the scroll. "Don't forget about the extra emergency kit you have stored underneath the floorboards, Boss. You're gonna need it."

Nodding, the original blonde crouched down and hefted the woman over his shoulders, making sure not to jostle her too much. He then made so her arms draped over his shoulders and her head was resting against the back of his while his arms grabbed her legs to support her. Using chakra to keep up his strength, he hurried home to treat her wounds, hoping that she would make it.

* * *

To the clone the teen had left behind, the last half hour had been a surreal time of revelation. To start things off, his Academy teacher, Iruka Umino, had found him and berated him for stealing the Sacred Scroll. The clone had then told the man that he had done so because Mizuki had told him it was part of a makeup exam so that he could become a Genin. He even went further and said that he was a Shadow Clone and that the original was doing something more crucial.

Before Iruka could've questioned him further, Mizuki had shown up. What followed was the revelation of the Kyuubi, a nine-tailed fox that had attacked the village years ago, was sealed into him. The clone couldn't help but freeze at that, but Iruka had grown furious with Mizuki for dropping such a bomb on his student and attacked Mizuki with a level of skill he hadn't used since his days as an active Chunin.

With Mizuki taken care of thanks to the ANBU arriving on the scene, Iruka and the clone were taken to the office of Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Third Hokage of the village. This is where the clone had found himself now, sitting before the village leader with a new headband resting in his lap.

"I'm sorry that you had to find out this way, Naruto," apologized the elderly man to the clone. "I had planned to tell you in a more suitable environment, but what's done is done."

The clone of Naruto Uzumaki was silent for a few moments before he asked softly, "Why me?"

Hiruzen sighed at that. "I wish I could tell you. How are you taking this; knowing that you're a Jinchuriki?"

"Honestly…I don't know what to feel, old man. I mean, I now know _why_ I'm always getting these dirty looks and whispered insults. I thought it was something that I did; not because I was holding back the being that nearly destroyed our home."

"If you need to talk more about this, then you can always come to me. Alright?"

Nodding the clone was about to leave before he remembered something important. "Old man, before Iruka-sensei showed up, Boss and I found this woman unconscious nearby. From what we saw, she was in a really tough fight and crashed through a few branches before we found her."

Sarutobi's eyes widened in surprise. "Did you see who or what did that to her?"

"No, when we got there she was by herself. Boss took her back to his apartment to patch her up before he left me behind with the Sacred Scroll."

The Hokage nodded, though hid the suspicion from showing on his face. "Then we better see how this woman is doing," he stated before he moved over to the blonde teen, placing a hand on his head before both of them disappeared in a burst of smoke.

* * *

"Dammit," cursed the original Naruto as he carefully wove a needle and dissolvable thread through the woman's skin, stitching up the deep gash. "Whatever cut into your side nearly reached your muscle…" He then grabbed two sturdy pieces of wood and tied them tightly around her left forearm. "Some scrapes and bruises…a deep cut into your side…a cracked arm," he placed the back of his hand against her forehead and cringed, "and a high temperature. By the kami, what the hell happened to you?"

He had been at this ever since he had arrived at his apartment, laying the woman down on a mattress so that he could clean up her wounds and patch her up. Her breathing had gotten worse when he had arrived, and he frantically worked to do whatever he could to help ease her pain.

Thankfully, her breathing had gotten better over the time he worked on her, but her temperature was still above normal, and it was worrying him. He changed the water he had been using to dampen her forehead, making sure it was cold before he dabbed it again.

Once that was done, he sighed tiredly and nearly collapsed in the chair that he had set near where she rested. He rubbed his face in a feeble attempt to stay awake, the lateness of the evening and his dying, worry-filled adrenaline taking its toll on him.

Taking this moment, he looked to his "patient" closer, noting her features. She had long and cascading silver hair that would've reached her lower back if she was standing, flawless skin that was a stunning pale (though not sickly), and a gorgeous figure that was being covered by a bodysuit that had been ripped, scorched, scuffed, and torn. The bodysuit itself was black in coloration with blue swirling designs on it, and it had thicker material in certain areas, making him deduce that it was some form of armor.

While he didn't know what color her eyes were, everything else had shown Naruto that, whoever this injured stranger was, she was a woman who could be the epitome of beauty without even trying.

He was glad that he had been able to stay focused enough to wrap her chest in bandages from behind. Never in his life had he been in a situation where a woman needed to be stripped of her clothing, so it was extremely awkward for him to have to dress her injuries with her chest open for him to see.

"Just what the hell did you go through?" he asked softly to her resting form as his fight to stay awake ended up in his loss.

* * *

Grayfia Lucifuge gradually became aware of herself as consciousness returned. Slowly opening her eyes that were the same stunning silver as her hair, she brought her hand up to shield them from the harshness of the light that was invading them – an act which brought a wince of pain from her side. Bringing her other hand to her side and favoring it gingerly, she felt stitches in the painful area. She looked down to her side, noticing that the sutures were very well-sewn. She also noticed that she was naked, at least from the waist up with her chest bound in bandaged wrappings. Her injured arm had also been treated and a splint was placed around it to keep it straight.

She took a look around to get her bearings in this unfamiliar place. She was in what looked like a rundown bedroom if the peeled paint and patches on the walls were any indicator. She then looked downward towards the side where her stitches were, and she saw that she wasn't alone. Sleeping in a chair next to the bed was a young blonde boy wearing an orange track-suit of some kind, his sleeves and hands covered in blood. Seeing no injuries on his person, she could only conclude that the blood was hers.

 _'Is he the one who helped me? This young boy?'_ she wondered.

She slowly rose from the bed so as not to further aggravate her injuries, placing her feet on the floor and standing up. She noticed that she was indeed mostly naked from the waist up, as her panties were still on and the wrappings on her chest were nicely made. It relieved her to know that she had not been taken advantage of, and immediately the level of esteem for her young physician rose several notches. She slowly turned her head to face him, taking note of how deeply he was sleeping, and she couldn't help but smile gratefully.

 _'You really pushed yourself, didn't you? Just to help a complete stranger to whom you owe nothing…'_ she mused at the blonde teen whose head was rolled back in the chair, asleep with his mouth wide open.

She couldn't help but giggle at how utterly cute and adorable he looked, especially with those lovely foxlike whisker markings on his cheeks. She quietly stepped toward him and stopped when she was standing just above him. She brought her uninjured hand to his face, brushing back a few stray locks of hair and caressing his cheek with her fingertips. She bent down slowly, her side once more reminding her that it was injured, and kissed his cheek softly.

"Thank you," she whispered to him softly. "Never before has anyone ever been so selflessly kind to me."

Standing back up, she looked around the room and saw the entrance to his bathroom. She went in there and found a small bucket, some soap and a couple of small towels. Filling the bucket with warm water and soap, she brought the towels and the soapy water back into the bedroom where she proceeded to gently remove the bloodstained jacket that the boy was wearing.

"Let's clean you up before putting you to bed," she said quietly as she proceeded to dip one of the towels into the soapy water and give him a sponge bath to remove the caked blood from his hands and forearms. Once she was done and the blonde was dried off, she removed the blood-soaked linens from his bed and went into the main living area of his dwelling, not paying much attention to the space as a whole while opening closets in search of a change of bedsheets. She frowned when she found none; though she did find a blanket to cover him with.

Returning to the bedroom, she concentrated and used her magic to levitate him from the chair and into the bed that she had just been occupying, removing his footwear and his pants, leaving him in just his boxer shorts and an undershirt. Once she had laid him in the bed, she covered him with the blanket she had found. Smiling at him again, she leaned down once more and kissed his forehead gently.

"Sleep well, my savior. Sweet dreams," she whispered softly, wishing him a good night before gathering what was left of her clothing, turning the bedroom light off and leaving the room, leaving the door only slightly ajar.

She dressed herself as best she could, considering the state her clothes were in, and took a moment this time around to study the rest of the boy's dwelling. It was a small apartment that looked to be only three rooms: a kitchen/living area hybrid room, a small bathroom, and a single bedroom. The living room and kitchen looked to be in as poor a shape as the bedroom was, with damaged floors and walls, tape over cracks in the windows, and dust covering many various spots. But, there were a couple of things that showed that the young man had tried to liven up the apartment: a couple of potted plants and a handful of pictures on a worn out table placed against a windowsill.

 _'Does he live here by himself, and at his age? Does he not have any family?'_ she mused with a concerned expression as she looked to the pictures the young man had. There were three in total and the first showed him, though younger, with an elderly man inside of an office. The boy was wearing a diamond-shaped hat that was much too big for him, smiling brightly for the camera while the elderly man had a content look on his face.

She had a small smile at the sight, seeing pure happiness in the boy's blue orbs before moving to the next picture. This one was of the young man again, slightly older than how he looked in the first picture, sitting at a small food stand with two other people. The first was a man reaching his middle-ages and a young girl a few years older than the blonde boy. All three of them were smiling and the woman took note of a message written in the corner. " _To Naruto, our favorite customer_ " it said and was signed by the two other people.

 _'So your name is Naruto?'_ she mused, pleased to finally have a name to match him with, before moving to the final picture. This one had the teen in his current age alongside a woman with violet hair styled in a manner that made her think of a peacock's plumes, wearing a large tan trench coat. Both of them were grinning so wide that their eyes were closed as they were covered in splotches of various paint colors. Behind them was a large mountain with four carved faces on it, each one with a different form of painted mischief on it. She giggled in amusement at the image.

Another note was on this one. " _Gaki, I had a blast with you. Hope to do it again sometime. -Anko_ " the note had said, and it showed that the two had a close relationship. The small smile that was on her face never left as she went through the pictures, seeing how happy the teen was in each one.

However, a part of her realized that he was most likely an orphan and these few moments of happiness seemed to be the only ones worth commemorating. Such a realization filled her with pity for him, and she wondered what the rest of his early life had been like.

Feeling as though she was snooping, she moved away from the pictures and to the kitchen, looking around before she found some cleaning supplies underneath his sink. It wasn't much, but at least it was something, and it provided her with a way that she could begin to express her gratitude to the young boy who had just saved her life.

With a satisfied nod, she grabbed a sponge, the bucket, and the cleaning solution before she got to work.

* * *

When Sarutobi and Naruto's clone had arrived, it was right outside of the blonde Uzumaki's apartment. Sarutobi was about to knock to let the original Naruto know he was there, but the clone took the initiative and opened the door before walking in.

What greeted them was the sight of a gorgeous silverette woman in a damaged black and blue bodysuit cleaning up the apartment with a calm face. When she heard the door open, she turned her gaze to it and was slightly surprised to see an exact copy of the blond teen that had helped her along with the elderly man that she remembered from Naruto's first photograph, in his same white and red robes and diamond-shaped hat.

 _'Is he a twin?_ ' she thought to herself before shaking it off and giving both of them a respectful bow in greeting.

"Uh, should you be up and about?" asked the clone in concern. "You were really banged up when I found you."

Standing straight with a hidden wince of pain, she answered, "I'm well enough to walk around and clean, as you can see. Your brother did very well to patch me up, and he has my thanks."

"Brother?" The clone tilted his head in query before realization hit, "Oh, you mean Boss! No, we're not brothers; I'm a chakra made clone of him."

 _'Chakra? This boy can use chakra to this degree?'_ She was honestly surprised since chakra users were said to be quite a rarity. She then took a closer look at them, and hid her surprise at the sheer level of chakra both humans had. "I see," she began before greeting him once more. "Then welcome home, Naruto-sama."

"Eh?" the clone asked while Sarutobi cleared his throat.

"Ma'am, I'm Hiruzen Sarutobi, Hokage and leader of this village. Would you mind if we sit down so I can ask you some questions?"

She nodded in understanding, putting down the cleaning supplies in her hands and moving to the table. Sarutobi took note of how she made sure he and Naruto's clone were seated first before sitting down. "I'll answer whatever I can, Hokage-sama, but I must point out now that my answers may seem confusing, if not unbelievable to you."

"I'll be the judge of that. Firstly, who are you and how did you end up with enough wounds to prompt Naruto-kun to take care of you in his own home?"

She easily detected suspicion in his tone, alongside the look he gave her. Though elderly, for a human, this man was not one to underestimate. "I am Grayfia Lucifuge, a devil allied to the New Faction that was formed to usurp the regime of the Four Satans led by Lucifer," she answered calmly and in a serious tone.

Both Sarutobi and Naruto's clone blinked before the blonde asked, "What's a devil?"

"Devils are the inhabitants of the Underworld, and we're seen as enemies of the Biblical God."

"So, you're a being of darkness?" Sarutobi asked with a raised brow.

"It's not quite that simple, but that is how humans tend to categorize us, yes. However, the New Faction was formed so that we could put an end to such biased thoughts. The leader of our faction, Sirzechs Gremory-sama, was planning on making attempts to come to terms with the other factions as well. Seeing as there'd be unnecessary bloodshed, there was hope for at least a ceasefire between us, the angels, and the fallen angels," Grayfia explained, seeing the clone's interested look while Sarutobi was sitting calmly.

"I'm assuming then that your wounds were from the battle that was taking place?" Sarutobi asked, to which she nodded. "Then how did you arrive here?"

"Lucifer planned to use something against Sirzechs-sama in a last ditch effort, but I was able to push him out of the way and took the hit from it instead. The next thing I experienced was flying through a strange space of distorting colors and lights before crashing down in a forest. I vaguely recall hitting some branches before passing out. Once I woke up, I saw that my wounds were patched up by Naruto-sama, and he did quite well, I must say," she finished with a nod towards the clone.

"Where is Boss, anyway?" the clone asked.

"He's resting in bed. He had fallen asleep due to exhaustion, so I set him on his bed and admittedly looked around this apartment before I found those cleaning supplies," she answered, taking a short glance at the sponge and bucket. "I thought I might begin to express my gratitude to Naruto-sama by doing some chores on his behalf, and as I was doing that, the two of you walked in."

"Do you have a way to return to wherever it is you came from?" asked Sarutobi, "And how can you prove you're a devil as you claim?"

Instead of a vocal response, she answered his second question by revealing her black leathery wings. Along with this was a small flux of her power, letting both men feel its darker nature.

"I presume that is proof enough of my claim?" she asked in return, making both of them nod while Naruto's clone looked a bit awed. "As for returning home, I have no means at my disposal and I do not know if I will find any. For all intents and purposes, I'm stranded, here."

The clone felt for her and immediately spoke up before Sarutobi could say anything. "Well, if you need a place to stay, then you're more than welcome to live here."

"Naruto, I'm not sure that-" the Hokage tried to say, but the blonde continued.

"No one else lives in this building, so it's basically mine. You can have one of the rooms to yourself if you want!" The smile on his face showed the other two that he believed that the problem was solved.

Grayfia gave a grateful smile to him, one that made him blush at the beauty of it. "Thank you, Naruto-sama. I can accept that arrangement."

Sarutobi finally got a word in. "Naruto, you actually won't be living in this apartment anymore."

That earned the elderly man a confused look from his charge while the she-devil silently watched the exchange. "What do you mean, old man?"

"What I mean is this," the Hokage said as he pulled out a scroll that had the blonde's name on it. "This, Naruto-kun, is everything that you've inherited from your parents."

"My parents?!" he asked in shock while Grayfia took that as confirmation that he was orphaned. "I thought you said you didn't know them?!"

"I had to say that because that was the terms of agreement the Clan Heads, my personal council, and I made after their death. You see Naruto, you're far more important than you were grown to believe, and not just because of what you hold."

 _'What he holds?'_ mused Grayfia before her eyes moved to the slightly opened door of the bedroom. Reaching out, she took a second feel for his power and moved past the chakra he naturally had. What she felt stunned her, for it was a heavy energy that was not his; but alongside that was a bright sliver of power that was deeply linked to the blonde. _'What is that?'_

Unaware of what Grayfia was doing, Sarutobi continued, "You see, your mother was the last member of the Uzumaki Clan that lived in this village. Due to their village's destruction and their near genocide, this makes you heir to the clan here in the Leaf Village."

The clone had a look of utter shock on his face. "I'm… I'm an heir?" he asked softly, disbelief flooding his tone.

"That's correct. In fact, since you've become a ninja, you now have a seat available to you on the Clan Council, alongside Sasuke and the Uchiha Clan's seat. Your mother was an active member in many meetings and a lot of her ideas became incorporated into the village's system. As for your father…"

"Forgive me for interrupting," cut in the she-devil, "but am I correct to assume that he is related to someone associated with the Hokage seat?"

The two men turned to her, one in confusion and the other in suspicion. "And how have you come by this conclusion?"

She stood up from her seat, moved over to the table that had the three pictures, and brought over the one that had Naruto at his youngest. Pointing to a specific spot in the picture, the two saw her finger directed at a frame at the end of the office wall that held a portrait of a blonde man.

"The similarities between Naruto-sama and that man are practically impossible to miss. The only differences I can see are his whisker markings and the shape of his face; which I will assume matches his mother," answered the woman calmly.

"Hold on," the clone began, looking closer at the picture. "That's…the Fourth Hokage! The Fourth was my dad?!" he asked in shock. "My dad sealed the Kyuubi into me?!"

 _'A Kyuubi?!'_ thought a surprised silverette. _'If he holds a Kyuubi, then that would explain the heavier presence within him. But what was that other power that was deeper down?'_

Sighing, the Third nodded in confirmation. "Yes, the Fourth Hokage was named Minato Namikaze…and he was indeed your father after Kushina Uzumaki, your mother, gave birth to you." The man then pulled out a small picture and handed it to the clone.

Looking at it, Naruto's clone was already fighting tears while Grayfia, driven by curiosity, stepped up behind his seat to take a look. In the picture, there was Minato without his famous flamed cloak. He was smiling brightly at the camera and hugging a redheaded woman from behind. Said woman was stunningly beautiful, and Grayfia would've mistaken her for a Gremory if she hadn't already heard the Uzumaki name. Her slightly rounded face was matched by Naruto, and in the photo she had a noticeable bump in her stomach; proof that she was pregnant with Naruto at the time the picture was taken.

"Dad…" whispered the clone. When he looked at his mother's beautiful smile, a tear rolled down his face. "Mom…"

Sensing his need for support, Grayfia gently placed her uninjured hand on his shoulder and gently gripped it. He turned to her and she offered him a small smile, one that he returned before he gingerly put the photo on the table, as if it was made of glass.

"Thank you for giving me this, old man," gratefully stated the Uzumaki. "But, what happens now? The Clan Heads and your council obviously know about my parentage, so what does that mean for me?"

"It means that you're now within your right to live in your parent's estate, which was declared to be the Uzumaki Compound by myself and my council."

"Can Grayfia-chan come with me?" he asked, surprising the woman at both his request and the affectionate suffix added to her name. "I want her to have a place to stay if she's stuck here."

An idea sprang up in her mind and she spoke up. "Hokage-sama," she began, getting both of their attention, "I request citizenship here in your village, along with the opportunity to serve as Naruto-sama's personal maid."

That declaration earned her a raised brow from the Hokage while Naruto's clone looked surprised. "Y-You don't need to be my maid, Grayfia-chan," he tried to assure her, not wanting her to feel like she owed him anything.

"I appreciate the concern and care you've both given and offer to me, Naruto-sama, but this is a request I wish to see fulfilled."

"Explain," replied Sarutobi before Naruto's clone could comment.

"The Lucifuge family have always prided ourselves in serving the Lucifer Satan, the strongest of the four. If I hadn't been taken by that strange crystal, I would've made the same request of Sirzechs-sama after he had taken the Lucifer title. However, this request goes beyond that form of duty to my family's name," she stated. "Naruto-sama has shown himself to be someone with an incredible level of potential; and I don't mean because of his parentage or the Kyuubi."

The clone was fighting off a bashful blush at the strength in her voice when she said he had potential. Only a handful of people ever showed that kind of support to him. Meanwhile, the Hokage queried, "If not for those reasons, then what is the source of the potential you see in him?"

Standing just a fraction taller, she answered, "Naruto-sama's compassion is where I find that source. It reminds me of Sirzechs-sama, and he proved himself to be an invaluable leader. If nurtured and allowed to grow, Naruto-sama's compassion could lead him to becoming someone worthwhile; a man that you humans could look up to."

Now, the strength in her voice, along with the conviction she showed in her claim, made the clone's blush present while Sarutobi was smiling inwardly. _'Finally… Someone else sees just how special you are, Naruto-kun.'_ Nodding, the man allowed the smile to show as he regarded the woman. "Very well then. I'll provide you with all of the necessary forms and you're free to become Naruto-kun's maid if you wish. This should allow you to become an honorary member of his clan due to the Clan Laws that were agreed upon by the other Clan Heads. I should have the paperwork ready for you tomorrow, so just have Naruto-kun take you to my office."

She nodded gratefully and turned to the clone, giving him a bow from the waist. "I look forward to serving you, Naruto-sama."

Embarrassed, due to never having received such a respectful gesture, the clone rubbed his head bashfully. "I still don't think you need to do anything for me," he began, "but, you say I have potential to be a great person. So, who am I to let you down?"

His rhetorical question was followed by a bright grin that made Grayfia smile in return. Sarutobi, still smiling, handed Naruto's clone the scroll. "In there are records of your clan's history along with personal jutsu from both of your parents and their combined notes on fuinjutsu. The keys to your new home are also sealed within."

The new Uzumaki heir nodded gratefully. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

That caught the elderly man off guard for a moment, but he then gained a deadpan expression. "This is gonna be one of those rare few times you ever call me that, isn't it?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," cheekily replied the blonde with an innocent expression.

Rolling his eyes with a smile, the Hokage left the apartment in a flicker of speed, leaving the clone and Grayfia alone. The woman then spoke up, "Well Naruto-sama, seeing as how your original self is resting, I'll finish tidying up in here."

"Alright then. I'll dispel in a few minutes anyway since I'm low on chakra. Make sure to let the Boss know what happened tonight, will you?"

She gave him a bow. "Yes, Naruto-sama." And with that, the clone of her new master dispelled and she went back to the cleaning bucket. Once again grabbing the sponge, she resumed where she had left off in cleaning the apartment.

* * *

The following day found Naruto and his new maid standing inside of the Hokage's office. Naruto had been able to recall bits and pieces of what his clone had experienced and Grayfia was more than ready to fill in the blanks as needed.

Also, she had inexplicably been able to obtain a uniform fit for a woman in her position. It was a blue and white dress with a white apron and headpiece that held her hair in place. She let her hair flow down behind her, tying it low to keep it from being caught in the breeze. To finish off the uniform, there was a red swirl directly over her heart and a larger one encompassing the back.

Sarutobi would've asked how she obtained such clothing, but the look he received from Naruto stopped that notion. The message was clear: don't try to understand it because you never will.

"Well, as I told you the previous night, here are the forms needed to have you legally become a citizen of the Leaf Village." Grayfia took a moment to fill them out with the necessary information before handing them back to the Hokage. "Now, considering the circumstances, I'm going to ask you to keep your devil features hidden. If they are discovered, we'll explain that it is simply a bloodline under your family's name."

"I understand, Hokage-sama," she replied. "But what about my place of origin? I left that blank since it would be unwise to note I'm from the Underworld."

"I have that covered as well. The Hidden Mist is currently undergoing civil war at this time, so it won't be hard to say you're simply a refugee escaping the war."

"Thank you for the consideration, Hokage-sama," she said with a bow.

"What about the Clan Heads and your council concerning me?" asked the Uzumaki.

"They are aware of your new status and we're only going to reveal that you're set to lead the Uzumaki Clan to the public. Considering the fact that your father made himself the most hated man in the Hidden Stone, we believed it'd be best to keep the knowledge of his connection to you to ourselves. We don't want to risk the Stone to reignite their old grudge with that knowledge."

"Got it. I don't think I'll take his name anyway. I've been Naruto Uzumaki my whole life, so changing it to Namikaze would be too strange for me."

"Understandable. Now, remember that your team placement is set for the end of this week. So, be sure to prepare yourself for that day."

The blonde nodded while Grayfia assured, "I'll make sure that Naruto-sama is well prepared for that time, Hokage-sama."

With that, the two left the elderly man alone to fill in the blanks on Grayfia's citizenship papers. Just as he finished and had his secretary go submit them, a familiar face jumped into the office via the window.

"Yo, old man!" greeted the boisterous voice of Anko Mitarashi, who was grinning at him with a dango stick acting like a toothpick in her mouth. "I'm here about that request I made of you last night."

After the Hokage had returned to his office from his meeting with Naruto's clone and Grayfia, he had been approached by Anko. Her request had surprised him, but he saw the benefits in it; especially for a certain Genin that showed a lot of promise.

"Yes, I thought it over this morning and I can see the merit in it. While Kakashi will be disappointed, he'll have to make do with the team I assign him." He pulled out a form from a folder that had been marked with a reminder and stamped it to make it confirmed. Handing it to her, he said, "As requested, I'm going to let you take over Naruto's training with him as your apprentice. You and he have similar problems and can work well together, so I'm expecting great things from the both of you, Anko."

She grinned brightly at him as she read the legal form in her hands. "Don't you worry, old man! I'll make sure to turn the gaki into one of the best damn shinobi this village has ever seen."

"Good. With you and Grayfia-san in his life, I can't wait to see what kind of man Naruto-kun will become."

She blinked at that. "Who now?"

"Ah yes, you weren't aware. Naruto has earned the trust of a woman named Grayfia and she has volunteered to become his personal maid, making her an Honorary Uzumaki. I believe she will also take an active role in his growth and help him learn to harness his own power."

"Oh really?" she asked with a slowly growing grin that showed a pair of wicked fangs. "Well, I suppose I'll have to pay them both a little…visit."

Before Sarutobi could say anything, she was gone. With a sweatdrop, he commented, "I hope she doesn't go overboard with that _visit_. From what I felt from her, Grayfia could no doubt give _myself_ a lot of trouble…"

* * *

 **Tada! That's the end of the first chapter!**

 **I'm so excited about this! How often do you see a** _ **Naruto**_ **and** _ **DxD**_ **story that has a single pairing, let alone Grayfia as the romantic interest in it?! Doesn't that excite you guys too?**

 **Now, Naruto will have a decent growth in skill thanks to both his new maid and new teacher taking active roles in his life. As for the title of the story, take a second to think about it.**

 **…*waits patiently*…**

 **You good? Then you should see where I'm going with this, right? If not, then you'll have to just wait and see! Don't forget to leave me nice reviews, guys!**

 **Until next time!**

 **pain17ification**


	2. Chapter 2: The Start of a Legend

**Yo! Here comes chapter number two! I hope that you all enjoy it!**

 **As with all of my FanFiction stories, I own nothing!**

* * *

 _A Sun's Devilish Maid_

 _Chapter Two: The Start of a Legend_

* * *

"Well, I suppose the first thing we should do is pack up my apartment," suggested Naruto as he and Grayfia walked down the market streets of the village. "After that, we'll see if it's furnished enough and go from there."

"Yes, Naruto-sama. Also, I believe we should get you a change in wardrobe," she added, making him look at her with a brow raised. So, she clarified, "You are now a member of your village's military force, as well as an acknowledged heir to a lost clan. I can see that orange is a color that means a great deal to you, but perhaps we should find a more…professional style of dress so you can better represent who you are?"

He hummed thoughtfully before slowly nodding. "I see your point, Grayfia-chan. But, I won't get rid of the orange," he said firmly. "It's much more important to me now that I know just who my parents were; a symbol of my pride in being their son."

"Of course, Naruto-sama. Shall we get your new clothes now, or do you wish to pack your belongings first?"

"We can get my clothes first. These ones have seen much better days," he commented, gesturing to the patchwork he had done to them personally. There were stitching repairs all over, and a couple of sections where a patch was placed over a hole (though it was still a shade of orange to blend in with the rest of the clothes).

"As you say. Unfortunately, I still haven't familiarized myself with the village's layout. So, I'll follow your lead, Naruto-sama."

"Right. I'll be sure to get you a map as soon as I can. Until then, the closest store is-"

"BANZAI!" came the battle cry of a voice familiar to the blonde, and he was snatched by a tannish-purple blur that suddenly disappeared in a burst of speed and leaves.

"Naruto-sama!" Grayfia exclaimed, cursing herself for not being as vigilant as she should before sensing outward for his energy. It took just a moment before she found it and she too left in a burst of speed, cracking the ground beneath her from the force of her departure.

* * *

"I see," commented a silver haired man who reminded people of a one-eyed scarecrow. He was standing before the Hokage after the man had an ANBU fetch him. "So, he knows now, huh?"

"He reached the stage I had set for him," Sarutobi explained. "At the very least, I would have only told him about Kushina and then Minato when he became a Chunin. But, that plan went out the window when his unexpected patient connected the dots; and with just a picture as her source."

"You really believe what she said about her being a devil of all things, sir? Seems a bit…out there, if you ask me."

The elder of the two chuckled at that. "Trust me, I thought she had suffered a serious head injury at first. But she proved herself to both Naruto and I. There's no doubt in my mind that she's what she claims to be, and now we have someone with an incredible level of power taking on the role of a maid to one of our village's most important shinobi."

"That makes me wonder as well, sir. Why would someone with her kind of strength – a strength you yourself bore witness to – choose to take on a role of a servant to a fresh Genin?" His eye narrowed in suspicious confusion. "It just seems like some kind of ploy to me, sir."

"I would be lying if I said I didn't think the same as you, Kakashi. That's why I had you come here. You know that I've decided to let Anko teach Naruto-"

"When I had personally requested him," interrupted the Jonin blandly.

"I know you have a connection to him because of his father, but Anko has a more likening situation to him. She could teach him how to better deal with an outside source of chakra playing interference with his own. Not to mention she could be a supporting role for him; something you could've done yourself if you hadn't retaken your ANBU position."

The scarecrow winced at the verbal jab. "I…wasn't in the right state to look after him at the time."

"An excuse," shot down the Hokage. "A visit or two could've done him some good, and you know it. While later than most he has come to know, Anko's interaction with Naruto has already established a friendly bond between them while you are no more than a stranger to him." Leaning forward on his desk, he rested his chin against his closed hands. "Surely you realize that the result of his social unacceptance left some scars on the boy? He's uncomfortable around people he hasn't met before." (1)

"And the devil woman? He never met her before."

"That scenario was different. He saw someone in trouble and helped them, resulting in them showing gratitude and good will; something much better than the blatant ignoring done by many other Leaf villagers."

Kakashi sighed at that. "How could we have messed up this much? He didn't ask for sensei to seal the Bijuu into him, and people should've had more faith in sensei's ability."

"Pain – especially when the source is not truly gone – makes that faith dwindle to near nonexistence, Kakashi. As far as most people are concerned, the source of their grief will never be gone; not so long as the reminder is left in their home."

The Jonin shook his head, feeling sorry for the son of the man who was like a second father to him. "And Naruto is left to deal with their grief and frustration, giving birth to his own in turn."

"Yes, but back to what I was saying. Anko understands that kind of social abuse. Due to Orochimaru's actions in the past, her affiliation to him – even if it ended when he left the village – makes her a pariah in the eyes of many of the villagers. Now, she's pulled through and has a successful career and some friends. I'm hoping that she can help build his confidence enough to make the same kind of breakthrough. As for Grayfia-san, her support will also help him since she's shown a genuine interest in his potential." He leaned back in his chair. "But, I want you to keep an eye on their interactions during this week since the team selections aren't until the end of it."

Nodding, Kakashi replied, "I'll get right on it, Hokage-sama."

* * *

"Anko-chan, let me go!" cried Naruto as his most recent friend carried him under her arm and raced across the tress. "I was about to go pack up my apartment!"

"Can't talk, gaki!" she yelled back, a grin on her face. "I'm trying to test your new Help! Nice choice, by the way! Didn't know you liked 'em older; I might've tried something if I knew!"

His face blazed with the blush that appeared. "I _so_ didn't need to hear that!" He shook off the blush and looked behind his _kidnapper_ with a small frown. "Plus, your little _test_ for Grayfia-chan might not have been a good idea…"

"Hmm?" The woman took a look over her shoulder, only for her eyes to widen when she saw the maid easily leaping through the trees after her; breaking off every branch she kicked off of, no matter how thick.

"Unhand Naruto-sama, now!" ordered Grayfia.

Anko, enjoying the fact that a maid could keep up, merely grinned. "If you want him," she began before dropping into an empty training field, "then take him." She dropped the blonde on his ass, making him rub the now sore flesh. "That is if you can take the cute little gaki from me?" she challenged.

Sweatdropping, the blonde quipped, "So…I'm just a prize now?"

"Why, of course you are! You're my prized gaki!"

Grayfia narrowed her eyes at the violette woman. "I'll say it once more; unhand Naruto-sama."

"Make me, maid!" Anko shot back with her grin never lessening.

( _Fire Emblem: Awakening OST: Conquest [Ablaze])_

It was only thanks to years of intensive training that the Jonin was able to duck under a swipe from the silverette devil. Leaping away to get some distance, she thrust an arm forward and unleashed a trio of snakes that stretched from her sleeve opening and lunged at Grayfia. With a blank look, the maid pulled out a folded hand-fan and opened it, using it as a makeshift shield that amazingly held up from the snakes.

With ease, she then swept the fan to the side, using her devil power to send out a gale of wind that pushed both the snakes and Anko back. Not missing a beat, Grayfia folded back her fan and appeared in a blur of speed where Anko was heading. The Jonin saw that the she was about to slam down her fan and used a _Body Flicker_ to avoid it, landing on a tree branch just in time to gape at the crater made from the small fan, hoping the leaves would cover her form.

 _'How in the hell did she-?'_

"You think you can hide?" came a voice from behind her, making her yelp and drop to the ground to dodge another swipe that cleaved the branch clean off the tree. "I won't let any threat to my master just walk away; _none_ of them."

 _'Maybe this wasn't the best idea,'_ thought Anko as she felt a dark power build up from the woman. But, she wasn't a Jonin for nothing. So, she blazed through handseals and ended on the tiger seal. " _Fire Style: Dragon Flame Bullet_!" she cried before unleashing a large fireball in the shape of a dragon's head.

Narrowing her eyes, Grayfia mused, _'Is this the capability of chakra?'_ Snapping open her fan again, she swung it with a backhand, unleashing a much larger gale than the one she used on Anko before. The wind's force became too much and pushed the fire back towards the Jonin who substituted herself with a log.

Out of danger, Anko pulled out a kunai and rushed Grayfia. The she-devil folded back her fan and blocked the blade, prompting the two women to start a quick exchange of slashes, swipes, and parries. At one point, Anko went with a parry, crouching low with a sweeping kick that was easily avoided by Grayfia back stepping and the countered with a third swing of the opened fan, pushing back Anko and making her roll along the ground.

( _Music End)_

She was about to get up, but she found herself staring right at the tip of the once again closed fan. Her eyes roamed down the arm holding the fan and then looked into the fierce silver orbs of the maid. "Are you prepared to pay for kidnapping my master?"

"Grayfia-chan, that's enough!" yelled Naruto, having stood up during their last exchange. "Anko wasn't trying to kidnap me; she was just testing you."

Not looking away from the violette woman, the she-devil asked, "Testing me? For what purpose would this woman need to test me?"

Anko answered, "I needed to be sure that the gaki's maid could take care of him. As far as I'm concerned, he's my friend and my new student."

"Student?" cut in Naruto. "You're my Jonin sensei?"

"More like you're _my_ apprentice, gaki. Hope you're ready for hell, 'cuz I'm gonna run you into the ground."

Instead of looking scared, the Uzumaki looked excited. "Can't wait, sensei!"

"Naruto-sama, are you sure you want someone who resorted to abducting you just to test _me_ as your teacher?" questioned the she-devil, sending Anko a hard look.

"Ah, relax Miss Chambermaid," waved off Anko, earning her a narrowed look. "If you ask me-"

"I'm not," Grayfia quipped, but Anko ignored the comment.

"-you passed my test with flying colors! Nice job!"

Grayfia officially made a mental note that she didn't like this woman.

* * *

"That's everything," Naruto stated as he sealed all of his belongings (which wasn't much) into a scroll Anko gave to him. "According to the directions, the Uzumaki Estate is next to the Inuzuka and the Uchiha Compounds."

"Still can't believe you're an heir, kid," commented Anko as she gave the apartment a distasteful look. "But, at least you'll be moving up in terms of living spaces." She turned to him as he pocketed his scroll. "Why'd you stay in this dump, anyway?"

"Because to me it was a home. It may not have been the nicest," he gave the damaged walls a sad look, "or the most welcoming," he looked to the cracked windows, "but it was still a home to me thanks to the old man."

Grayfia was silent as she waited by the door, listening to them speak. Externally, she had a professional look on her face, but internally she was frowning. Her master was a kindhearted person, and had an incredible level of tolerance if his inaction against those who treated him poorly was any indication. She looked over to him, watching as he gave the place he called home one last walkthrough, and her heart went out to him. She had seen those who were less fortunate living on streets or in homes like his, but she didn't think about how attached those people became to such places.

Seeing it now, and how her master showed some depression at leaving his old apartment, she felt regretful. She hadn't bothered to give such people a second thought, and Naruto was technically one of _those people_.

 _'The saying is true; don't judge people by appearances or books by their covers.'_

"Well, I'm ready to go," he said as he stepped up to his maid. "I think I should get some new clothes before we check out the estate though."

"About time you got out of that jumpsuit, kid!" Anko nearly cheered, making Grayfia frown. "I know the perfect place to get you some better clothes. Such a quaint little shop with nice wares."

The woman gave a dramatic sigh while Naruto rolled his eyes at her antics. "Well, led on then sensei. After I get my clothes and get settled in, I need to see the old man."

"Naruto-sama, I know that you're close to him, but I believe you should call Sarutobi-sama by his earned and respected title. Surely you'd wish the same when you become Hokage, right?"

Anko blinked at her words. "Wait a minute; _when_? Not _if_?"

Grayfia didn't turn to her as she responded curtly, "I know what I said, Mitarashi-san."

Unknowingly stopping a fight, Naruto answered her question, "I honestly wouldn't mind if people still called me by my name. I've lived my entire life without a title, and old man Hokage told me he didn't mind me calling him that." The trio exited the apartment complex with Anko at the lead as the Genin continued, "But, I know that certain situations will need me to be respectful; the old man gave me some lessons on that as I grew up."

Nodding, Grayfia offered her blonde master a small smile. "So long as you're aware, Naruto-sama."

"Yea yea, the gaki knows better. Are you two done? Because we're almost there," complained Anko as she pointed at an approaching shop titled _Shirogane Emporium_. Once the three stepped inside, Naruto and Grayfia took a cursory glance around the store while Anko gave a lazy salute to the kunoichi at the counter. "Yo, Panda-chan! How's business?"

Said _panda_ developed a twitching brow and slammed her hands on the counter. "I told you to stop calling me that, you Dango Glutton!" She then took note of the other two and composed herself in a near instant. "Welcome to _Shirogane Emporium_. Can I help you two?"

"Yea, can you show me where the clothing section is? I need to replace this," Naruto explained, gesturing to his suit.

"Yeesh… I'll say," the girl agreed. "Follow me. I'll be with you in a second, miss."

"I'm with him, kunoichi-san," replied Grayfia. "Though, I'll be looking for supplies for him as well."

"Right, well ninja gear is over on the west wall, first aid stuff is on the east wall, and everything else can be found on the shelves throughout the shop."

"Thank you. Naruto-sama, I'll meet you at the counter."

Naruto grinned at her. "Sure thing, Grayfia-chan," he replied as he followed the kunoichi to the clothes section.

As she led him, the girl asked, "So, what's the story between you two, _Naruto-sama_?"

"She's my maid," he answered bluntly, making her stop and look at him in disbelief. "She became my maid last night after I patched her up in my apartment. She wasn't in good shape and could've died."

"Whoa… So, what's your name anyway? I'm Tenten, and my adopted parents own this place."

"Naruto Uzumaki, and I guess I'm the next Head of the Uzumaki Clan. The Hokage told me that last night after he came to check on Grayfia-chan."

"Uzumaki… Uzumaki…" she repeated thoughtfully before perking up. "You're the guy who painted the Hokage Mountain with Anko, aren't you?"

"Hehe… Guilty," he confirmed with a sheepish head rub. "To be fair though, the day was getting real dull, so Anko and I decided to find something to do."

Rolling her eyes, Tenten began to take his measurements. "Only you and Anko would do something like _that_ out of boredom… Anyway, what were you looking for specifically?"

"Honestly, I don't know. I want to look respectable, but I need to have some orange on my clothes."

"Can I ask why?" Tenten queried as she finished checking his measurements.

"It's to honor my parents. My father was blonde like me, but my mother had red hair. They also had nicknames that linked them to those colors. So, yellow and red makes…"

"Orange," finished the kunoichi with an understanding nod. "Let me see what we've got. Hang on…"

Back with Grayfia, she picked out a quality ninja kit with kunai, shuriken, a spool of wire, and a pouch to hold them. She also grabbed a first aid kit, ink and tags, and two blank scrolls for sealing. "What else will he need?" she asked quietly to herself.

It wasn't quiet enough, because Anko answered, "You basically found everything he'll need. But I'd grab him some gloves with metal plates." She held up a pair of black ones and Grayfia took them with a small nod of thanks. "You don't like me, do you?"

"I don't appreciate what you've done so far," explained Grayfia. "From what I've seen, Naruto-sama sees you as a friend and you could've betrayed that trust he has in you."

"I wasn't placing him in any danger, and he knows how I am. He knew I was testing you, so he wasn't worried."

"Still…" Grayfia was frowning.

"Look, I know you're worried about what could've happened, but nothing did. I'll admit that I'm still a bit iffy about this whole maid situation, but I can see that you're honestly looking out for him; it's my job to get a read on people quickly." She sighed. "You might not like me, but I'm Naruto's teacher now and you're his maid. The way I see it, we're both doing the same thing for him; looking out for him."

"I suppose you have a point. But I want your word on something," she began, giving Anko a stern look. "I want your word that you won't destroy the trust he has in you and that you'll help keep him safe."

"Pft, come one, give me some credit," Anko stated. "Of course I'll do those things. He's my friend, after all."

"Well, I'm glad to hear that sensei," Naruto noted as he walked up to them in his new clothes. He was dressed in black ninja sandals, storm gray pants, and a long-sleeved mesh shirt that had black shirt over it with an orange flame making a spiral starting from the waist and ending on the chest. His headband's cloth had also been changed from blue to orange and was tied to his left arm. "How do I look?"

"Much better, gaki," Anko answered with a thumbs-up.

"I agree, Naruto-sama. It's more presentable than what you were wearing before," Grayfia added before turning to Tenten. "We'll take a few copies, as well as a travelling cloak in the same shade as his pants."

"Right. Let me just ring you up," the Genin kunoichi replied as she began to mark up the purchase. Naruto handed Grayfia his wallet to pay for the supplies while he went to grab the cloak. After the purchases were paid for, Tenten bid the trio a good day and asked for Naruto to visit some other time.

Considering who her teammates were, one wouldn't blame her for the request.

With the shopping done, Anko told Naruto to meet her at Field 17 in the morning before she left to find her friend Kurenai. As for Naruto and Grayfia, they had arrived at the gates of the Uzumaki Estate. The estate itself was a two story building that was quite wide with a single story guest home behind it. Sarutobi had explained that the size was smaller than the compounds due to Kushina and Mito being the only Uzumaki in the village before Naruto; and even then, Mito lived in the Senju Compound with her husband, Hashirama. The estate wasn't built until Kushina had the funds for it with Minato.

It was made in hopes of the couple raising a family; but death took that chance from them.

The buildings were both dark red on the outside with black rooftops and honey brown doors. There were also seal tags placed over where the Uzumaki insignia would be seen from outside viewers, and Naruto sent out a couple of clones to take them off while he and Grayfia went inside.

Inside the estate, they saw that the floorboards were a dark brown color with light blue walls that had internal swirling designs in a darker shade; reminding Naruto of the whirlpools his clan was named after. The first floor was filled with a kitchen, spacious living rooms, a study with a lockable door, and a couple of restrooms with showers. Upstairs, there were a total of six bedrooms; each with their own personal sized restroom. In the study, there was also a basement access that led them beneath the estate and to the sight of a single wooden chest with a large seal on its lid and no lock.

"Wonder what's in there," Naruto mused as he placed his hand over the seal, watching it light up a stunning gold color. He felt a considerable drain of his chakra, enough to leave him at least a quarter less than maximum, before the chest cracked open.

Lifting the lid up the rest of the way, he and Grayfia were greeted to the sight of a notebook that was stuffed with added pages and notes. On the cover of it was a stitching of the Uzumaki's symbol. He reached in and pulled it out, flipping through some pages and checking out the fuinjutsu notes that were riddled within its pages.

"Damn… This is some complicated stuff. It'll take me a while to get through this."

"You'll have plenty of time, Naruto-sama," assured his maid, placing a hand on his shoulder. "For now, I suggest that we get settled in. I'll begin cleaning the estate while you go speak with Hokage-sama."

He nodded as he placed the notebook back into the chest and closed it, prompting the seal to lock it back up. "Alright, but I'm going to leave some clones behind to help you."

"I can handle-"

"I know you can handle some cleaning, Grayfia-chan. I just want to help you because I'm not used to having someone do things for me like a maid would; and I honestly don't think I ever will." He proceeded to make four clones as he made his way out of the estate. "That doesn't mean I will never stop appreciating what you do for me," he assured as he closed the front door.

The she-devil sighed at the stubbornness that was her master, but with that sigh came a small smirk. "Very well then, Naruto-sama," she said to herself before regarding the four clones. "Alright then, boys. Time to get to work, and I want this place to shine for Naruto-sama."

The four clones nodded and began to get to work with the silverette woman.

* * *

"Well, I'm glad that you're taking your new position seriously; even if it needed to be explained a bit better by Grayfia-san," stated Sarutobi as he smoked from his pipe. "She's not wrong, though. As an heir to a famous clan, you need to present yourself in a professional manner so that it shows the Uzumaki aren't seen in a negative way."

"I get that," assured Naruto as he sat across from the elderly man. "What I need help understanding is my new responsibilities. You said that Sasuke and I would have to sit in on certain meetings since we're officially ninja now and are recognized as heirs from a political standpoint."

"That's right, I did. And don't worry so much; I'll be sure to inform you both as to which meetings I'll need you both to take part in. what you mainly need to focus on is bettering yourself as a shinobi of the village, and I believe both Anko and Grayfia-san will be of great help to you in that regard."

The Genin nodded in understanding. "One other thing; at one point during Anko-sensei's _test_ for Grayfia-chan, I sent out some of my chakra to see if it'd be easier for her to find me."

"A smart move in case you're taken by surprise and captured; especially if you have a sensor on your team."

"That's…what I wanted to ask about, old man. After I sent out my chakra, I felt something respond back to me. It felt…dark, in a sense. Kinda like when Grayfia-chan showed us that she really was a devil; but this one was untamed, and it came from somewhere closer to the village border."

The Hokage hummed thoughtfully at this, finding the explanation to be familiar. Going off of a hunch, the man called out his four ANBU guards. Naruto was surprised at their sudden reveal, even though he knew they were always with the old man.

"Naruto, I'm going to have one of these ANBU project something that might trigger this feeling you've described. If I'm right, then you have found out something quite useful to you. If not, then at the very least we know you can sense something out of the ordinary."

Naruto nodded and waited patiently, staring at ANBU operatives Cat, Bear, Rabbit, and Wolf. For a few moments, nothing happened that he could sense, so he decided to raise his chakra a little. Once he did, he felt something cruel from one of the ANBU that sent a shiver down his spine, and he pointed at the one in the Rabbit mask.

"Whoever you are, you're giving off this really bad vibe. It feels uncomfortable, y'know…"

As soon as he finished saying that, the cruel feeling left and he felt nothing. Sarutobi had a small smile on his face at the results. "Well my boy, it seems as though you have a similar ability to that of Mito-sama; a sensory towards negative emotions and desires. With enough practice, this could become a useful tool for you, because it will let you feel if someone is planning to deceive or betray you in some manner."

"That's awesome and all," he began before turning to Rabbit, "but what were you thinking about that was so negative?"

Behind her mask, Rabbit blushed in embarrassment at being put on the spot. "W-Well, I was thinking about my ex and what I was going to do to him after I caught him cheating on me. It uh… It was pretty detailed," she answered bashfully, rubbing the back of her head with a nervous laugh.

The Hokage, Naruto, Bear, and Wolf all sweatdropped at her answer while Cat nodded in understanding.

* * *

"So, after the old man tested my sensory ability, he told me that I most likely sensed a girl named Yakumo Kurama, who was meant to be the heiress of the Kurama Clan," explained Naruto as he and Grayfia made their way over to the Kurama Compound.

"But what does that have to do with us heading there, Naruto-sama?"

"What I sensed from Yakumo was a more untamed feeling of darkness than your devil power. If what she has is like how I hold the Kyuubi, then maybe I can help her."

She raised a brow at this. "And how do you propose you'll aid her? You haven't begun any studies on fuinjutsu, so you can't place a seal on her. And you're unfamiliar with darker energies that devils and yōkai have."

"That's why you're here," he stated. "You have experience in this matters, so you can help her out, right?"

The woman frowned thoughtfully. "It would depend on her situation. Until then, I cannot answer, Naruto-sama."

"I understand." They approached the compound entrance and were stopped by a guard. "I'm here to see Yakumo Kurama and see if I can help fix her condition."

He felt horrible saying it like that, sounding hypocritical due to having his own _condition_. But he knew that he wouldn't be let in if he didn't play on their fear; even if it made him sick. Grayfia saw this and offered a reassuring pat on his shoulder that made him smile gratefully.

Being led through the compound, the two took note that they were moving away from the more crowded section that held all of the houses and to an open field that housed a single wooden cabin that didn't even look big enough for a small family. Naruto was frowning long before they stopped at the front door and their guide left them there.

Sighing, Naruto knocked on the door and waited for a response. "It's open," came a muffled female voice. As the two walked in, they saw the cabin filled with various paintings, each one of them painted expertly. Some were of various landscapes while others took a dark turn and were of people in some kind of horrible situations. Moving to the other room, the saw a young teen with long brown hair sitting on a bed with her back to them as she painted a hilltop view of a sunset over a forest. "Just a moment," she said softly, putting some last touches on the painting.

"Are you Yakumo Kurama?" he asked.

"I am…but sometimes I'm not," she answered. Turning to them, they saw that her eyes were twin pools of darkness. _**"Who are you?"**_

"Naruto Uzumaki, Jinchūriki of the Kyuubi. And this is Grayfia Lucifuge, someone who I think can help you, Yakumo." He gestured to the she-devil who nodded in greeting, though frowned at the yōkai before her.

 _ **"** **And why would I want your help? Maybe I like things this way?"**_

"You don't mean that, Yakumo," Naruto denied. "I know what it's like to hold a demon inside of you, to have people live in fear of what that demon could do. I want to help you, Yakumo. You just need to let me."

She blinked and her eyes were human again, colored a light brown shade. "How do I know you won't lie to me like _she_ did? Betray me like _she_ did?"

He saw the distrust in her eyes, and the anger at whoever this woman who betrayed her was. So, he gave her a kind smile and answered, "Because I'm not that kind of person. I won't deceive you because it's not who I am. You can see me, can't you Yakumo? What do you see?"

With her eyes narrowed, she kept her gaze on him and grabbed a pencil and sketch pad. "Don't… Don't move," she murmured as she began sketching, never taking her eyes off of him.

And he didn't. He stood still with his smile in place while Grayfia watched on, prepared to do anything in case Yakumo tried something. It was tense for her, and it went on for nearly ten minutes before the girl stopped sketching and looked at her pad. She studied it for a few moments before a ghost of a smile formed.

"What do you see?" Naruto asked again.

"I see…someone who's honest. Someone with compassion that makes me see the worth in myself." Looking up from her pad, her smile grew slightly as her eyes met his. "I see you, Naruto Uzumaki…and I know you're no deceiver."

"Glad to hear that, Yakumo. Now, I'm gonna let Grayfia take a look at you; if that's okay?" The girl nodded and his smile grew. "Alright Grayfia-chan, do your thing."

"Yes, Naruto-sama," she said and stepped forward. Probing with her devil power, she reached out to the demon inside of Yakumo, slowly finding her surroundings fade and change to a dark void riddled with images nearly identical to the paintings in the cabin. Across from her was Yakumo, but in a more demonic form with dark eyes and skin, wilder hair, horns, and sharp fangs. "Curious… I was told the demon was called Ido, but instead I see a temptress."

 _ **"** **Oh, you flatter me,"**_ the succubus yōkai cooed with a wicked smirk, dropping the illusion of a monster that was in her place. Now, she looked just like Yakumo, but she had leathery wings, curved horns, glowing pink eyes, and a stunning figure barely covered by a skimpy violet kimono. _**"And what's a devil doing here in these parts? Last time I saw one, she was taking a bite out of some old tree's fruit."**_ (2)

"I'm here to help you and your host come to terms. You're obviously responsible for her more sadistic, yet creative, side while she gives you a body to live in. Perhaps an arrangement can be made between the two of you; one that benefits you both better?"

 _ **"** **You speak of fusion,"**_ accused the succubus. _**"And why should I? Maybe I like things this way."**_

"Is that a fact? A pity, because my master has already declared he'll help Yakumo-san. And when my master makes a declaration," she surged her power, easily dwarfing that of the succubus who was sweating at the oppressiveness, "I'll make sure it follows through; no matter what. That is _my_ declaration, temptress."

 _ **'** ** _S_ uch…p-power,'**_ the succubus thought in fear and awe. Swallowing the lump in her throat, she stuttered out, _**"W-What did you h-have in mind, D-Devil-sama?"**_

Grayfia smirked as she laid out the terms.

* * *

"You want me to _what_ now?" asked a gaping Anko as she stood in front of her new apprentice and a brunette girl dressed in a purple kimono that was over a fishnet suit. The girl had pink eyes that gleamed at times, flawless skin, a well-developed figure for a young teen, and nails filed into sharp points. Loosely tied to the obi holding her kimono closed was a Leaf headband with a black cloth.

"I want you to take Yakumo-chan as your second student," declared Naruto. "I had Grayfia help her with her demon issue, so she's more than ready to really start her ninja career. Please, sensei, I want to help her reach her goal and become an amazing kunoichi. Please!"

Anko was groaning as she looked between her pleading gaki and the smirking heiress who had a hand on her hip. Behind them both was Grayfia, and she had a barely noticeable smirk at the distress in Anko's visage.

Barely noticeable, yes; but Anko still noticed.

"Dammit all, gaki," she groaned out and palmed her forehead. "I thought it'd just be one student; not a team." She knew she shouldn't have, but she opened her eyes and saw Naruto's pleading face had become feminine, his hair had grown longer and become crimson red, and hi- _her_ bottom lip was quivering while her blue eyes were wide and glistening.

He had somehow made the perfect "Begging Moe Girl" face…and the Jonin thought it was the most unfair thing in the world.

"FINE! I'LL DO IT! JUST STOP MAKING THAT FACE!" she clutched at her now female student's legs, crying hysterically. "MAKE IT STOP!"

A poof of smoke showed Naruto resume his natural appearance and he turned around to give Yakumo a "nice guy" look; though he made it far more tolerable to see than a certain _green duo_ the Leaf would one day be (in)famous for. "You're in, Yakumo-chan!" he cheered.

The girl's smirk grew into a smile and she hugged Naruto, making him blush faintly at being hugged by a girl; especially a cute one. "Glad to hear it, Naruto-kun," she replied before she let him go. Bowing to both him and their new sensei, she stated, "I look forward to working with you both from now on." She then turned to the she-devil and bowed again. "And you as well, Grayfia-sama."

Anko pouted at being coerced, crossing her arms with a huff. "Yea yea, we're all one big happy team now… But, I'm not gonna let this slide so easily, brats." She grinned and pulled out twin handfuls of kunai, making both students gulp and sweat nervously. "First lesson: evasion slash reaction training. Now, DODGE!" she yelled as she began her torturous lesson.

Both Genin yelped and took to the trees, their sensei hot on their heels while Grayfia was left to stand in the training field. Her smirk was still in place, but it showed a great level of pride in it as she looked to where her master had leapt off. "Your legend starts now, Naruto-sama…and I'll be there for you every step of the way. That is my promise to you."

Her eyes closed and her smirk changed to a serene, yet small, smile as she calmly walked through the forest after Naruto and his team. She was looking forward to what he would accomplish next.

* * *

 **1~ This always confused me. Naruto was a social outcast who was ignored and treated unfairly by his village. Yet, he comes off as this naively trusting character who holds no thought of people out to deceive him. I find this approach more believable.**

 **2~ *winks* Sound familiar, anyone?**

 **Tada! Here's chapter two of this story! How's it looking, huh?**

 **Naruto has already shown just what his compassion could do for others and helped a potential prodigy get another chance to prove herself! Who else will see the compassion our blonde Sun has in spades? And what will his Devilish Maid do to help him discover his potential?**

 **Now, I know you guys have offered plenty of suggestions and requests; but Naruto will be a full-fledged Uzumaki in this (save for the red hair). So, he'll have sealing skills, Mito's negative sensory, and eventually something his mother was famous for (which should be obvious at this point).**

 **Until next time!**

 **pain17ification**


	3. Chapter 3: Ahead of the Pack

**Yo! Here comes the next chapter!**

 **As with all of my FanFiction stories, I own nothing!**

* * *

 _A Sun's Devilish Maid_

 _Chapter Three: Ahead of the Pack_

* * *

"Nngh!" grunted Naruto, arm outstretched as he tried to send out his chakra in a specific manner. Sweat began to form and fall from his concentration and a sharp point made of golden colored chakra began to poke out of his palm. It poked outward for about three inches before the strain of concentration became too much and the Uzumaki stopped the technique.

As he panted hard from the exhausting jutsu, Grayfia approached him and handed him a canteen filled with cool water. He accepted it gratefully, but the maid frowned when she saw that his gaze was averted from her own, almost out of self-shame. He had been like this all morning, and it was starting to concern her.

Anko, who was giving physical conditioning to Yakumo, had also noticed and frowned. It wasn't like the gaki to be so subdued and withdrawn. So, she did something about it. "Oi Whiskers! What's with the brooding aura?"

Thankfully, that got the reaction of him turning to her dramatically and crying out, "I do not brood, sensei!"

"Then tell me what the hell you're doing now, McBroody!" teased the woman. "You and Ms. Maid are as silent as graves! The hell happened after training yesterday?"

To her and Yakumo's surprise, Naruto clammed up with a healthy blush on his face. The Jonin turned her gaze from him to Grayfia, going back and forth a couple more times before suddenly smirking. "Oh~? Did something _happen_ last night, gaki?"

His blush grew, but he stayed silent. Unfortunately, Grayfia took his silence as her duty to answer. "After his training with you, Naruto-sama and I shopped for groceries, I prepared the evening meal, and then we turned in for the night. He and I shared the bed, and then-"

"Whoa, whoa, WHOA!" cut in Anko. "Time out! Bring it back! You two _shared the bed_?"

The poor Uzumaki heir felt like he could die under the grin his teacher was sporting. Grayfia had no such feelings, instead choosing to give the violette woman a hard look. "I performed my duties as Naruto-sama's maid. As his maid, and in order to better protect him from any kind of nocturnal threat, I stayed close to him."

Naruto had his eyes closed and sighed as he remembered the night before.

[Flashback]

 _He had just finished his shower and gotten into a simple shirt and sweats to sleep in. Getting into bed, he was about to shut off his lamp before a knock was heard. "Naruto-sama, may I enter?"_

 _He sighed at her respectful title for him. He'd never feel used to such respect from anyone. But, he replied all the same, "Yes, you may Grayfia-chan."_

 _Entering the room fully dressed, the she-devil moved over to her master's bedside, looking down at his laid form. "Naruto-sama, I must request that you move over a little."_

 _He blinked at the request. "…Eh?"_

 _"I need Naruto-sama to move over," she repeated as she, to his embarrassment, started to remove her uniform. After a moment, she was left in nothing but some dark blue underwear and a matching bra. Her hair tie had also been removed, allowing her silver tresses to flow like a stunning river._

 _"W-What are you doing?!" he exclaimed fearfully as she began to unhook her bra, turning away from her so that he wouldn't be caught ogling her naked breasts._

 _She frowned in worry at his actions. Why was he so afraid of seeing her in a state of undress? She was his – she had chosen to make herself his. As far as she was concerned, she belonged to him in every way, though she hoped that one day he would reciprocate her devotion to him._

 _In a calm, understanding tone, she attempted to explain herself, "I'm merely performing my duties, Naruto-sama. As your maid and guardian, it is my responsibility to stay by your side as you rest so that I may better protect you from any nocturnal threats. Given your newly-realized position, it shouldn't be too farfetched to expect any kind of attempt on your life."_

 _He gulped, but remained facing away from her, his breathing labored with the fear he was feeling. "B-But, do you have to be undressed like that?"_

 _Her brows furrowed further at his query and she leaned over to get a better look of his face. His blush was so strong that his face was glowing red, and his eyes were clenched shut. What surprised her, though, were the tears that were narrowly escaping through his clenched eyelids. The flattery she felt over Naruto's appreciation for her body despite his shyness about it was completely overshadowed by worry and concern over the degree of fear she could see in his face._

 _"Naruto-sama," she began softly, "look at me."_

 _"N-No. I really shouldn't…" he uttered out quickly, his fear now evident in his voice._

 _She slowly snaked her hand around his chest, caressing it as she moved to get a gentle yet firm grip on his opposite shoulder. She heard him gasp and felt his body stiffen at the contact before she gently rolled his body around to face her. At this action, Naruto almost entered a fetal position, though he didn't turn away._

 _Again, in an effort to calm him, she softly reassured, "I'm not showing you anything that you didn't see on the night you treated my wounds, Naruto-sama. There's no need for you to be afraid." She brought her hand to his face and laid it there, caressing his cheek as her request turned into a gentle plea, "…Please…look at me?"_

 _After a few moments, Naruto slowly opened his eyes and immediately sought out hers. What he saw there was shocking to him: this woman was gazing at him with tenderness, affection, and comfort. Her eyes were almost welling up, such was the softness he beheld within her eyes as they looked into his. Her dazzling soft smile only enhanced the emotions she was conveying to him through her gaze._

 _"Naruto-kun…" she began just above a whisper, causing his eyes to widen at the form of address she hadn't used before now. "I am yours. I will never, ever hurt you, or do anything to bring you to harm." Naruto's eyes began to well slightly upon hearing this before she continued, "When I say that I'm your maid, that's mostly for the benefit of others aside from us. But what I am to you is so much more than that. I've made a pact with you – the most sacred agreement that I, or any of my old house, could ever make with another. Even a marital bond isn't as binding as what I've chosen to gift upon you."_

 _"W-What…?" Naruto breathed out, staring at her incredulously._

 _Her smile widened as she explained herself further, "I am your personal retainer, of my own free will and choosing, and I am happy with my decision. As such, I am yours, Naruto-sama. My services, my possessions," she caressed his cheek soothingly, "my body, my heart…my very life… And it's because you are the one I choose to give myself to." She rose up to stand tall and proud, causing his eyes to go even wider as her magnificent breasts jutted out with pride and dignity that was almost regal in its bearing. "Not only can you gaze upon my body as much as you wish, but you are the only man I will ever give that right to. You are the only man who will ever have the right to touch me. You are the only man who deserves these rights. You saved my life; so, I'm honored to give it to you in gratitude."_

 _Giving him an encouraging smile, she nodded slightly, somehow giving him the message that he could, and should, rove his eyes all over her semi-nude form. Naruto was able to get the message and tentatively started doing just that. As he did, he noticed that Grayfia's smile widened even further; as if she was not only happy for him, but proud of him for doing so._

 _Seeing her master react so strongly to her also made her feel quite proud of herself. The she-devil knew she was beautiful beyond mortal compare or comprehension. There would certainly be nobody native to this world who would ever rival unearthly, immortal beauty such as that which Grayfia possessed. Even amongst the denizens of the Underworld where she had resided before being transported here, she possessed a beauty far beyond most of her peers! But there was something about giving this truly golden-hearted young man the confidence to look upon her that made her feel a sense of pride and accomplishment that was unfamiliar to her._

 _Once he was done eyeing her up and down, almost as if to commit her body's image to memory, he returned his gaze to her face and gave a weak smile; though she could see he was still nervous. She smiled in understanding and slipped into bed behind him, pulling him a bit closer to her and pressing her naked breasts into his bare back. She felt him stiffen slightly as soon as she made contact, but he slowly relaxed after a few moments. She did nothing more except to cover their bodies with the comforter._

 _"I promise I'll help you be more comfortable around me, Naruto-sama," she stated before she turned off the lamp. Resting her head on the pillow and bid softly, "Good night, Naruto-sama; my Naruto-sama. Sleep well."_

 _He was barely able to whisper back, "Y-You too, Grayfia-chan."_

[End Flashback]

The teen found himself barely able to sleep that night. He had never been able to picture himself sharing a bed with anyone; let alone a beautiful woman like Grayfia. His blush grew a bit when he remembered turning to face her sometime later in the evening and just watching her resting face. He remembered how calm she looked and how the moon peeked through his window, hitting her so perfectly with its glow.

Such an image would forever be remembered and held precious in his mind.

He was brought out of his reverie by Anko snickering. "I gotta say, gaki, you move pretty fast! Who would've thought you two would already be sharing your bed? Should we expect anything _more_ soon?"

He groaned silently at her teasing, embarrassment returning. And Yakumo couldn't help commenting as well. "I think it's kinda romantic." The others looked to her and she rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on! Think about it! A woman finds herself rescued and cared for by a young hero?" she waved her hand to Grayfia and Naruto as she spoke. "She then chooses to repay him by offering her life to him?" Her tone was getting suggestive and she winked at Naruto, as if showing him that she knew what was happening. "And then, through all that they go through, both the woman and the hero's hearts find their way to one another." She sighed wistfully, her pink eyes gleaming with a mix of jealousy and longing. "I wish I could find someone like that."

Unknown to her, a certain _beautiful green beast_ sneezed and lost count of his exercise reps. He then decided to make up for it with an even crazier exercise.

Because of the teasing and commentary, Naruto began to feel lightheaded because of his blush and felt close to fainting. He was so focused on staying conscious that he missed Grayfia sporting a dusting of pink on her own cheeks. However, the woman had better composure than her master and was able to keep that reaction relatively unseen.

To her surprise though, she was the only one who heard Naruto mumble, "That…does sound nice…"

Her eyes closed and her lips curved into a faint smile at that, though she said nothing.

Anko rolled her eyes at her newer student's fantasy. "Yea, keep dreaming girl. At any rate, let's get back to training. We have the rest of this week before you two go back to the Academy for _official_ ," they saw her use air quotes for the word, "team placements. We'll also start taking missions that day; but they'll be stupid D-Ranks."

"What's wrong with those, sensei?" Naruto asked, finally calming down from everything.

The woman shook her head and sighed. "You'll see soon enough. Just…don't get your hopes up about your first mission. More than likely you'll be annoyed about it. I know that _I_ was…"

Both Genin looked to one another before they shrugged. They'd just have to take her word for it.

* * *

Naruto was laying on the roof of his home, stargazing as he let his mind wander. It was the night before the Team Placements, but he wasn't concerned about them since he already had his team.

What he _was_ thinking about was his situation with Grayfia. He'd be the first to say that he was happy she was in his life, because she had already been a great influence. She was kind to him, she respected him (even if he felt it was too much for a Genin like him), and she believed in him. He could count the people who acted the same on his two hands.

But, even with all of the support she was giving him, he still felt…intimidated by her actions; mainly the ones that would most definitely be seen as intimate in nature. He wouldn't deny that he felt…special at having such actions aimed towards him, but old memories overshadowed such feelings.

The teen didn't have the best of luck in regards to interactions with the fairer sex. Girls in his class saw him as a nuisance – except for Hinata, who just seemed nervous around him – and Sakura would never hesitate to bean him in the head for little things. So, it was easy to say that girls his age were difficult to be around.

However, they weren't the reason for his sheer anxiety when Grayfia presented her body to him that one night. No, the real reason for that was because of run-ins with older women in the village. Most were accidental as he wound up bumping into one or two a week and, due to his height, would inadvertently bump his face against their chest. He never really got the chance to apologize before he was labeled as a "pervert" by the embarrassed woman and chased off.

Though, that was nothing compared to _that_ time. He shuddered at the memory, for it was a definite scar on his psyche.

[Flashback]

 _Ten-year-old Naruto was making his way home from the Academy. His spirits were down that day since he failed at the weapons training. Because of his depressed mood, his gaze had been at the ground instead of straight ahead. And it was once again, due to not watching where he was going, that would cause him to bump into yet another older member of the fairer sex._

 _As he turned a corner, he was unaware of a young woman – a recently promoted Chunin – turning the same corner, but from the other side. As such, he bumped into her by mistake. However, she was bigger than he was and ended up tripping over him. The result was her landing on top of his body. Unfortunately, Naruto had tried to grab onto something to stop his descent…and that something just so happened to be her chest. He cried out and removed his hand, looking up at the woman and stammering out a quick and loud apology._

 _The woman was a brunette with the same red fang tattoos on her face as his classmate Kiba; though had three ninken with her instead of the usual one that Naruto would see with most Inuzuka shinobi. She was gritting her teeth, and her bangs were overshadowing her eyes. Angered, she acted on instinct and screamed "PERVERT!" at him like most of his accidental run-ins with older women…but the rest of the encounter took a very different path than his past ones did._

 _Instead of slapping him and running off in embarrassment like every other woman, this one started to unleash furious rage upon the boy, straddling his stomach and pummeling the young boy underneath her without letting up even for a moment. Poor Naruto, having not been properly trained or prepared for a situation like this, was helpless against her onslaught. His attempts at crying out for help or mercy went unheeded, and mostly unfinished as she was beating him so furiously he didn't even have the chance to form words. His assailant, however, was screaming what could be called frenzied battle cries at the top of her lungs._

 _Naruto could feel his face began to swell and grow numb, and he started to feel dizzy and nauseous. His attempts to get his hands in front of his face to try and defend himself failed, as the woman eventually broke his fingers and then his arms to keep him from raising them again. Naruto didn't know what was happening – all he knew was that he was defenseless and helpless, and he could do little more than wait for this horrible ordeal to end. As he felt himself beginning to black out, the last thing he remembered was her three ninken attacking her and pulling her off of him._

 _"Oh, you three are going to get it, now!" he barely heard her yell as she gave chase to them, leaving him lying on the streets. He lost consciousness a moment afterwards._

 _Days later, Naruto opened his eyes as he became conscious. Finding himself disoriented over waking in a different place than he last remembered being, he looked around to get his bearings, almost instantly recognizing the sterile appearance and smell of a hospital room._

 _"Naruto-kun?" he heard a relieved female voice greet him. He turned in the direction of the voice, thankful to gaze toward the sight of ANBU member Cat._

 _"Hi, Cat," he breathed out weakly, offering her a smile that was just as weak as his voice._

 _"You gave us quite a scare, there, kid." He could hear the relief and gratitude in her voice as she continued, "You've been out cold for three days."_

 _Naruto's eyes widened at this. Three days?! He'd never been out for that long! Cat pulled a chair up to the side of his bed and began to explain what had happened to him and what had been done about it. She made sure to speak to him in a concerned manner, showing how worried she was for his well-being._

 _He liked Cat. She was always so kind to him and looked out for him more than even old man Hokage did on occasion._

 _After telling him what had happened, he was informed that his assaulter was a Chunin named Hana Inuzuka. Surprisingly, it had been Hana's mother, Tsume, who brought Naruto to the hospital after being led to his position by Hana's own ninken! Cat had also informed him that what Hana did to him was a crime, and that she had been arrested, interrogated and punished for her assault upon Naruto. The girl had apparently become absolutely mortified when her mother and Cat herself brought her to the Intensive Care Ward and she saw just what she had done to a ten-year-old boy. Cat had been charged with guarding his room by the Hokage himself, and had remained in the room the entire time, and this is where she had remained until he awoke. After explaining the story in full, she left the room to let him rest, assuring him that should he need her, she would be just outside the door._

 _It was a couple of hours later that he received another visitor. The woman who was entering the room had the red fang marks of the Inuzuka Clan on her cheeks, but unlike his assailant, who had straight brown hair, this woman had a head of hair that was as wild as a lion's mane. She was accompanied by a large wolf-sized dog with an eyepatch and one of his ears missing, as well as the three ninken that were with Hana when she assaulted him._

 _With a somber and apologetic frown, the woman introduced herself as she bowed humbly to him. "Hello, Naruto-san. My name is Tsume Inuzuka, and it was my daughter who put you here. I'm here to formally apologize to you on my clan's behalf and to let you know that not only will I be paying for your hospital stay personally, but my clan will also be compensating you for what you've suffered at Hana's hands."_

 _"It's…nice to meet you, Tsume-san," he offered hesitantly, to which she gave him an encouraging and grateful smile._

 _"Naruto, my daughter has a few things she would like to say to you…" Naruto tensed up at this, his eyes growing wide with fear; a reaction which didn't go unnoticed by Tsume. "I assure you that she won't hurt you. And ANBU Cat and I will also be in the room so you'll be protected. Okay?"_

 _Naruto took a few breaths and, feeling as though he could trust this woman, nodded his assent shakily._

 _Tsume smiled at him before returning to the doorway and looking around behind the door. "You can come in now, Hana. Cat, you should come in as well to help calm the kid's nerves."_

 _Naruto gulped in nervous anticipation as he watched Cat appear through the doorway, followed by his brown-haired assailant. He noticed this time that her eyes, instead of gleaming with frenzied rage, were welling with tears of regret and remorse. It was clear she was attempting to school her features, but the moment she made eye contact with Naruto, any control she might have had over herself began to shatter._

 _As her face morphed into a grimace of sadness, sobs came up from her throat and her tears began to flow freely. She took two quick steps before falling to her knees and placing her hands and head to the floor. Naruto was taken aback by this, and even Tsume went wide-eyed in surprise at Hana's action. It reminded her of a gilty pack mate appeasing to their alpha._

 _"I'm sorry…" she cried out as she continued sobbing, "I'm so sorry."_

 _She continued sobbing for several minutes while chanting out apologies with her head to the floor. She eventually picked her head up and rose to her feet._

 _"It wasn't your fault for what happened!" she cried. "I…I had just come back from a mission that went horribly wrong. I was upset and angry when you bumped into me. And when your hand landed…well, where it did…I…" Her sobs and tears intensified as she finished, "I'm so sorry! I just saw red!"_ _She quickly ran up to him before anyone could react and threw her arms around his shoulders, crying into his hair as she held him to herself in a need-filled hug. Her voice was filled with tears as she continued, "I don't even remember doing what I did to you! I just remember losing my temper and snapping! I never imagined that I might almost beat a little boy to death! Please, forgive me!"_

 _Her sobs continued as Hana, in addition to holding onto him almost as if he was a lifeline, was now peppering his face with kisses as well. Naruto, feeling his own tears, slowly put his arms around the girl, not knowing what else to do, and certainly not knowing what to say._

 _"Please," she begged anew, "Let me make this right, somehow. I'll do whatever it takes, okay? I'll…I'll teach you any skills I have that you want to know. I'll buy you food whenever you need some! I'll even let you sleep with me if you want! Please, let me make this right, somehow! Please!"_

 _Everyone took note of how desperate and sorry she was by her tone._

 _Naruto's hold on the girl tightened, his own tears now coming unbidden. As reluctant and as frightened as he was, he couldn't turn away such a heartfelt apology, especially when he could easily see that she was truly broken over what she'd done to him. As if she could feel his terror, she pulled back and placed her hand gently on his face before kissing him directly on his lips. It was one of assurance so that she could show how regretful she was; so she took care not to give any mixed messages. This somehow seemed to calm him down, at which point he promptly passed out._

 _The damage however, despite Naruto and Hana's burying the hatchet, had been done to Naruto's psyche – he would find himself instinctively wary in the presence of older women, especially when they appeared to be volatile._

[End Flashback]

Now, in the present time since that day, Naruto has already been incredibly nervous, if not on edge, around older women. Whenever one would interact with him, he would instinctively tense up his body and look for any means of escape.

There were a couple of exceptions, fortunately. However, those exceptions took some time to get past his psychological walls. Anko was one, having gotten through to him with a shared love of pranks and a similar "mask" like his own. Cat was another, but he had known her for a long time.

Surprisingly, Hana was another. It took a long time, but she had eventually gotten through to him when she saw him tending to an injured cat (which happened to be a certain infamous hell cat). The two grew closer over medical training; though not in a ninja sense. Naruto just lacked the control for such things, and he never would have that kind of control given his lineage.

But, that didn't mean he couldn't learn other kinds of medical practice. And with Hana's help, Naruto had been able to get enough experience as, in professional terms, a field medic. It was this experience that played a huge factor in his tending to Grayfia's earlier wounds.

Though, old scars never fully heal. Even with nearly a week of having her share his bed, Naruto was still on edge around Grayfia when she went to sleep. He felt silly about it, not to mention embarrassed, but he couldn't help his natural reaction.

"Naruto-sama?" called Grayfia from behind him, earning his attention. "It's getting late. I've prepared your bed for you."

He returned his gaze to the night sky, sighing softly. "Thank you, Grayfia-chan. I'll be inside in a moment."

"Of course," she replied, but she stayed out on the rooftop with him. "Is everything alright, Naruto-sama?"

"…Just thinking about some things," he answered after a moment. "Silly things…"

She frowned at his distant tone. She could see that these so-called _silly things_ were truly troubling to him.

"Naruto-kun," she said softly, causing him to turn his gaze to her once again. She slowly approached him, bringing a gentle had to his face when she was close enough. To her comfort, he relaxed at her touch and she mentally noted that his whisker marks were sensitive areas. With a saddened and longing gleam in her eyes, she spoke up once more, "I wish you would talk to me. I'm here for you if you need someone to speak to."

"I know you are," he immediately returned, showing his confliction through his gaze. "But this is…something I need to sort out myself. Please understand…"

He was surprised when he saw her shed a single tear down the right side of her face. Removing her hand from his face, she gave him a sad smile. "Of course. Your private affairs are your own. Forgive me, it wasn't my intention to pry."

"No, it's fine," he assured with a faint smile in hopes of reassuring her. Standing up and heading inside he informed her, "I'm going to wash up before bed."

"Yes, Naruto-sama," she answered with a respectful bow before following him inside.

Later that evening, Naruto once again found it difficult to sleep; but this time it wasn't just his anxiety. His back was to Grayfia on the bed and he sighed softly so as not to wake her.

 _'I feel like such an ass, now. I didn't mean to hurt her feelings. Dammit, why is this so hard?'_ he asked himself. _'She won't hurt me like Hana once did… But still I… I feel so nervous…'_

As he was trying to sort out his troubles, he was unaware of Grayfia, still awake, staring at his back with a concerned expression. Her silver orbs softened and she was restraining herself from reaching out to him; from holding him close to comfort him. She had to take things slow with her master, otherwise he would likely shut her out.

But it was getting hard for her to continue doing so.

 _'Naruto-kun…'_ she thought sadly before slowly succumbing to slumber.

* * *

Naruto yawned in his seat in the classroom. He was hoping to catch a few winks before Iruka arrived to assign the teams. It wasn't like he and Yakumo, who was seated next to him, needed to be there. But, they couldn't just leave and Anko had told them to wait there for her.

Turning to his sole teammate with a tired look, he asked in a hushed tone, "Could you put up a genjutsu around me so it looks like I'm still awake? I'm gonna pass out any minute…"

She gave him an understanding smile and nodded. "Sure. What are teammates for?"

He smiled back gratefully before he rested his head on the desk, almost instantly falling asleep. Yakumo, true to her word, put up a genjutsu around him and sat patiently. No one seemed to take heed of it except for Hinata Hyuuga, who looked at Naruto in concern.

Meeting Yakumo's gaze, the genjutsu user shook her head with a smile and mouthed, _"He's just tired. He'll be fine"_.

Relieved, Hinata nodded in thanks before turning back to face the front of the class. Iruka had finally arrived and was giving one last speech to inform them of what they should expect, and be expected of, as shinobi of the Hidden Leaf. After the speech, he began to call out the teams. Teams 1 through 6 were filled with most of the class, but none had the clan heirs/heiresses in them.

Finally, the man reached Team 7. "Under the guidance of Kakashi Hatake, Team 7 will consist of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno," he ignored her joyful cry, "and Sai Shimura."

Sasuke said nothing, but he had a thoughtful look on his face at the identity of his new sensei. Sakura was fighting herself not to go into a happy rant about her team; specifically a certain teammate. And a rather pale Genin offered a polite smile to his new teammates, but it weirded them out instead of endeared them.

"Under the guidance of Kurenai Yuhi," no one noticed Yakumo clench her fists, "Team 8 consists of Shino Aburame, Hinata Hyuuga, and Kiba Inuzuka."

The three Genin moved to sit next to one another. Kiba was grinning confidently while Shino was unexpressive, at least to the other students, while Hinata offered the two of them polite smiles.

"Team 9 is still in commission. Under the guidance of Asuma Sarutobi, Team 10 will consist of Choji Akamichi, Shikamaru Nara, and Ino Yamanaka."

The three were already seated together by coincidence. Choji was smiling contently, happy to be teamed with his friends. Shikamaru sighed at being teamed with Ino, but he knew their fathers all wanted this; so he said nothing. Ino grumbled at not being teamed with Sasuke, but she said nothing either. Like Shikamaru, she knew her father wanted to recreate the legendary trio he had been a part of.

"And lastly, under the guidance of Anko Mitarashi, Team 11 will consist of Yakumo Kurama and Naruto Uzumaki," finished Iruka, catching many student by surprise since they were under the notion that Naruto had failed. Not to mention the team only had two Genin compared to every other team. "Your teachers will be here soon, so please be patient and welcome to your first day as Leaf Ninja."

With that, he made to leave, but a bundle crashed in through the window before it unfurled and a banner was seen hanging up. The banner stated " _Team 11's sexy sensei, Anko Mitarashi_ " and said woman stood proudly in front of it. "Alright brats, follow me to Field 17!"

Yakumo gently nudged her teammate awake and the two of them followed Anko out of the window she had just broken. However, the rest of the room's inhabitants looked on in confusion at the sight of a silverette woman in a uniform waiting for them. What confused them further was how she offered Naruto a bow before she followed him after the eccentric Jonin.

* * *

"This is bullshit," Naruto grumbled as he and Yakumo painted a fence that bordered someone's home. "How is _this_ a mission?"

"These are just glorified chores," Yakumo added, scowling at the fence in front of her.

"Told ya," was all Anko said as she watched them work beside Grayfia. The Jonin had told the devilish maid that she couldn't help Naruto since it was his team's mission, and she wasn't a part of the team technically.

"How many of these do we have to do before we can get a better mission?" Naruto asked as the two Genin finished their _mission_.

Anko raised a finger and opened her mouth to answer, but she paused. Closing her mouth, she scratched her cheek and chuckled awkwardly. "Actually, I don't really know how many…"

That earned her three reactions: a madly twitching brow from Naruto, a palming face from Yakumo, and Grayfia rolling her eyes.

"Hey, come on! Cut me some slack here, guys!" cried the violette Jonin. "This is my first time actually being a sensei to anyone, so I'm learning as I go; just like you!"

Grayfia sighed at her argument and suggested, "Perhaps it would be best if we spoke to Hokage-sama about this, Mitarashi-san?"

She sweatdropped at the looks she was getting from her students and the she-devil. "Yea, maybe it would…"

* * *

Anko's brow was twitching irritably as Sarutobi chuckled at her question. "Somehow, I'm not surprised that you're asking me this question, Anko," he commented, making her brow twitch again. "But, to answer it, there is not real set number of D-Rank Missions that a team must take before going on a C-Rank. It mainly depends on the input of the sensei, and the report on their progress that you are to turn into me weekly."

"Oh yea," she said with a snap of her fingers before she pulled out a small scroll and tossed it to the Hokage. "Knew I was forgetting something…"

Naruto and Sarutobi chuckled at that while the older man looked through the report. His smile remained as he read it, nodding at certain points before something made him raise a brow. "You had a run-in with Kurenai? I take it she wasn't exactly confident about Yakumo's reinstatement as a kunoichi?"

Naruto sighed at this while Grayfia frowned. "That's an understatement…" grouched the Uzumaki.

"That woman has too little faith in Kurama-san," Grayfia added.

[Flashback]

 _Naruto and Yakumo were on their fourth day of training, and they had been coming along nicely. The Genin kunoichi was already showing how much progress she had made under Anko's intense physical regimen while Naruto had finally succeeded in forming a single chakra chain for each arm._

 _Now, they were standing in front of Anko with a blank paper in their hands. "What you two are holding is what is publically known as chakra paper. What it does is show you what elemental affinity you have. Many things can happen depending on the affinity you have. For example, a fire affinity will burn the paper while an earth one will make it crumble away into dust."_

" _So, we just apply chakra?" Naruto guessed._

" _Yep. Now, go ahead and-"_

" _Anko!" cried out a familiar voice as a woman with raven tresses and wine red eyes dropped down onto the training field. Standing up, she gave Yakumo and Grayfia a glance before refocusing on her friend. "What's this I hear about the Kurama Clan letting Yakumo out?"_

 _Anko rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "Seems pretty obvious. She was helped and given the OK to reapply as a Genin." She waved an arm to the other two and finished, "It was thanks to the gaki and Ms. Chambermaid that she was able to get helped. Then the old man gave her the clearance to rejoin the ranks."_

 _Yakumo was glaring at the Genjutsu Mistress, holding herself from doing anything rash. It also helped that Naruto had placed a hand on her shoulder to help calm her down. The Uzumaki then spoke up, "Grayfia-chan was able to get Yakumo's demon to form an agreement with her, and the two merged into a single being."_

" _You actually had her accept that demon?" Kurenai asked in shock. "Why on earth would you do that?!"_

 _Grayfia was the one to answer. "Both Kurama-san and her inner demoness had been sharing a body and psyche for too long that separating them from one another would've been detrimental to her health both psychically and mentally. I spoke to the succubus and had her make an agreement with Kurama-san that would benefit them both."_

" _And you're sure that was wise? Aren't succubae famous for their tempting ways and cunning?"_

 _The silverette woman easily held back her smirk. "Not to worry. I made sure to make the message_ very _clear with that temptress. And it was Naruto-sama's idea to have me assist her with her issue after having sensed the darker nature within."_

 _The red-eyed Jonin turned to the blonde Genin at that. "You sensed her?"_

" _More like I sensed the negativity coming from her. I'm able to pick up darker emotions and intentions, so I was able to feel Yakumo and her demon. I then told old man Hokage, he gave me permission to visit her, and the rest you know."_

" _Not like it really matters to you, right?" growled out Yakumo. "Since that day, you gave up on me, and for_ years _I was left locked away out of fear! And all the while, you, the teacher that should've supported me and guided me, went on with your life without a damn care in the world!" Her pink eyes began to gleam dangerously at Kurenai. "You have no right…no right to interfere with my ninja career! You had your chance and you blew it; so, do me a favor and_ fuck off _, Kurenai-_ sensei _! And for the record, don't talk about me like I'm not here WHEN I'M STANDING RIGHT IN FRONT OF YOU!"_

 _The woman recoiled at the tirade Yakumo had just given her and looked to the others, only to see no support whatsoever from her; not even from her friend. Trying to save face, she left without a word, but she mentally promised to keep an eye on the kunoichi._

[Flashback End]

"I see," noted the Hokage. "Well, whatever the case, it was my approval that led you to helping her. As such, my word is final."

The Kurama heiress smiled and bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Of course. Now, I don't see in here what your affinities are? If you two would please…?" he asked while Anko handed the two of them another sheet of chakra paper.

Yakumo was handed a paper first and flowed her chakra into it. After a moment, it crinkled and collapsed in itself until it was rolled up into a small ball.

"Nice one," praised Anko with a smirk. "You have a lightning affinity, which is pretty rare outside of the Hidden Cloud."

Naruto was then handed his and it split in two as soon as he put a small amount of chakra, separating the paper into two perfect halves. "Well…from what Anko-sensei said earlier about the other two affinities, and how obvious it would be for a water one, I'm guessing my affinity is wind?" he asked.

"That's correct," Sarutobi confirmed. "Like lightning, wind natured chakra is very rare her in the Land of Fire and the Hidden Leaf. I only know of two other people with that kind of affinity, and one of them you've already met. However, I wouldn't recommend asking for his assistance since he can be fairly…intense with his methods."

He nodded in understanding. "Who would you recommend then, old man?"

"My son has a wind affinity like you, but since he has his own team, it'll be difficult to find time for him to help you. Although, I will tell you the first step to gaining control is to split a leaf in half with your chakra. Give it a try when you have a free moment."

"Right," agreed Naruto with a grin.

"And for you, Yakumo, I only really know of one practitioner of lightning jutsu; sans myself, of course," continued the Hokage.

"And there's no way that lazy pervert will just actively help you," added Anko. "I can talk to him, but he has his own team as well."

"In the meantime, I'll give you the first step as well. What you need to do is grab a small piece of metal, and then you're going to try and electrify it with your chakra."

"I see," replied the kunoichi with a nod of understanding. "I'll be sure to practice, Hokage-sama."

He nodded in return before he finished the scroll containing Anko's report. "Well, I can agree that this team has already placed itself ahead of the pack since you all began to train a week in advance. I can also see that it would be a waste of time to have your team perform D-Ranks since they're mainly meant to help establish teamwork. However, I can't just send you on a C-Rank on your own so soon."

"Meaning…?" pressed Anko.

"I want your team to act as backup for another team. That way, you can all get a feel for a higher ranked mission while also lowering the risk of being overwhelmed."

"What team?" asked Naruto.

"Team 9, which consists of Might Guy, Neji Hyuuga, Rock Lee, and Tenten," answered Sarutobi.

To the surprise of the other three, Anko groaned and moved to a wall to bang her head against it. "Why, old man? Why set up my team with Mr. _Youthful_?"

"They're the only Genin team that I have for you to leave the village with. Besides, his team is one of the most qualified."

"Dammit," she muttered before sighing in defeat. "Fine, we'll join them. What's the mission?"

"Your team and Guy's will be responsible for escorting the Prince of the Crescent Moon Kingdom back to his home. Expect this mission to take a minimum of one month," explained the Hokage as he tossed Anko the mission scroll. "Your teams leave in the morning."

"Yes sir," saluted Anko, fighting another defeated sigh as she led her team and Grayfia out of the office. "Alright you two, get plenty of rest and make sure you have all the supplies you'll need. Long missions like this will always wear away at your stock." Both Genin nodded. "Chambermaid," she ignored Grayfia giving her a look, "you should be free to go with us since you're the gaki's personal aide. However, since I'm in charge of him, I'm also in charge of you. Understand?"

Grayfia narrowed her eyes before she nodded slowly. "For now, Mitarashi-san."

"See you all tomorrow," bid the Jonin as she left.

Yakumo turned to her teammate with a small smile. "Until then, Naruto."

"Yea. Hope you rest well," he bid as she left. Turning to Grayfia, he asked, "Shall we get home?"

"Yes, Naruto-sama. I'll be sure to prepare your things for tomorrow," she replied as they started walking home.

"Thank you, Grayfia-chan. I appreciate it."

She looked to him as he smiled, making her return it. "It pleases me to hear that, Naruto-sama," she returned as she grabbed his arm with both of her own, walking home arm in arm with him and leaving Naruto a blushing, stuttering mess every step of the way.

* * *

 **And there we are with this Naruto/Grayfia story's third chapter! I hope you all enjoyed it!**

 **In case you don't know, this mission that Teams Guy and Anko are going on is based on the third** _ **Naruto**_ **movie,** _ **Guardians of the Crescent Moon Kingdom**_ **. I won't go into too much detail about it, but I** _ **will**_ **say that the final member of Team Anko will be introduced in this chapter.**

 **Also, the final member will not be from the** _ **Naruto**_ **or** _ **DxD**_ **universes.**

 **On a final note, I'm happy to name my friend and valuable partner _ncpfan_ as this story's coauthor! Thanks for everything, my friend! I greatly appreciate your help!**

 **Until next time!**

 **pain17ification**


	4. Chapter 4: Guardians of the Moon (pt 1)

**Here comes the next chapter!**

 **Sorry it took so long...**

 **As with all of my FanFiction stories, I own nothing!**

* * *

 _A Sun's Devilish Maid_

 _Chapter Four: Guardians of the Crescent Moon (Part 1)_

* * *

Naruto and Grayfia were first at the gates the following morning, both prepared for the mission ahead. The Uzumaki was dressed in his new clothes with a single addition to the attire; a strap that held a total of five sealing scrolls on it. Each scroll held some manner of sealing arrays that would hopefully be unused; but the young man had been of the impression of "better safe than sorry".

Grayfia was in her standard maid uniform, but hidden underneath was her patched up bodysuit. She had found it resting on the dresser of her personal room (which was connected to her master's), stitched together quite well. She had smiled at the sight of it, knowing that it had been repaired by Naruto and appreciating the work he put into it. It was a heartwarming gesture on his part.

The next to arrive were Jonin sensei Might Guy and his young protégé in the "Flames of Youth" Rock Lee. Both were sporting green bodysuits that hugged their bodies well and both had red clothed headbands acting as belts for them. However, Guy also had the standard Jonin flak jacket over his suit while Lee had bandages covering his hands from fingertip to elbow.

Naruto had met Lee a couple of times, but the two were acquaintances at best. They only knew one another's names and nothing more. So, this was a good opportunity for the Uzumaki to try and make a new friend.

"Good morning to you both, Guy-sensei, Lee," greeted the blonde with a polite smile. "You both look ready."

Giving his fellow Genin a thumbs-up, Lee exclaimed, "Yosh! I am most ready indeed, Naruto-san! I can't wait to show off the fruits of my training and the strength of my YOUTH!"

Guy was quick to continue, "That's the spirit, Lee! Don't let your flames dwindle for even a moment! They must burn like an inferno and only become embers at the bitter end!"

"Yes sir, Guy-sensei!" saluted the Genin before the two eccentric men began to get emotional.

It ended with them both hugging and crying manly tears, leaving Grayfia feeling a mix of discomfort and intrigue. Naruto however thought that the shared moment between master and student was actually kind of nice. While not to their extreme, Naruto wished to have that kind of bond with both his teacher Anko and any potential students he might have in the future.

Moving over to his maid, seeing as both taijutsu enthusiasts didn't look like they'd be stopping soon, Naruto stood next to her and waited for the others to arrive. "Naruto-sama," Grayfia began, getting his attention, "I must thank you for patching up my suit. You didn't need to do that, though."

He smiled back at her. "I know; but I wanted to," was his simple reply, making her return his smile.

The compassion she saw in his blue orbs touched her, and it further supported her belief in his potential. In a world where the strong thrived and the weak suffered, such a notion of compassion would be quite alien to many. But, it was because it was so unexpected that it would be all the more worthwhile and inspiring; and Grayfia was pleased that she'd be able to witness her Naruto-sama's compassion change the world for the better.

It was around half an hour for the rest of the Leaf Ninja to arrive. Naruto and Tenten both exchanged polite smiles and waves in greeting while Yakumo gave Lee a curious glance. As for the last member, Neji Hyuuga, he seemed to be adamantly refusing to give Team Anko nothing more than the barest amount of attention.

"Alright," Anko began, "the client is known as Michiru Tsuki, the Prince of the Crescent Moon Kingdom. With him is his son Hikaru and the Prince's many servants and envoy."

Guy then took over. "It is our mission to make sure that both Prince Michiru and his son make it back to their kingdom safely. While we will also try our best to defend the others of this envoy, those two are our top priority. Is that clear?" When he got nods from all five Genin, he gave a pleased smile. "Excellent! While we wait, why don't we get acquainted with our temporary – yet no less youthful – teammates?"

"Actually," Tenten cut in, "Whiskers and I know each other a bit. He came to my family's shop to buy his current uniform."

"Naruto-san and I are acquainted as well, Guy-sensei," Lee added.

"True as that may be, you only know each other on a small level. To be successful, it's best to know who you're working with beyond that of passing glances, first meetings, and initial greetings."

Anko decided to cut to the chase. "We'll keep it short and sweet; give your name and something about yourself. We'll start with the Green Mini-Me."

Lee saluted and exclaimed, "Yosh! My name is Rock Lee, and while I cannot use ninjutsu or genjutsu, I will still serve my home youthfully with my taijutsu!"

Naruto and Yakumo looked intrigued at his chakra related disability, but they didn't comment on it. Tenten went next, "The name's Tenten Higurashi. I'm a weapons specialist and have two goals; to become a great kunoichi like Lady Tsunade of the Sannin and to get some experience with the many rare weapons of the Elemental Nations."

"You mean like the Seven Swords of the Mist?" Naruto queried.

"Exactly! Each of those swords are unique in their own way, but they're only a piece of the pie."

Both of Anko's Genin nodded at her goal, giving her encouraging smiles before turning to Neji. He had his arms crossed as he leaned back against a tree near the gates. "Neji Hyuuga of the Branch House. I specialize in my clan's taijutsu, and that's all you need to concern yourself with."

Naruto frowned at his rude introduction, but he didn't comment on it. Grayfia also frowned, but it was faint since the arrogance the boy showed reminded her somewhat of the Old Faction of the Devils.

"I'll go next then. I'm Yakumo Kurama, Heiress of the Kurama Clan. I specialize in genjutsu, but I don't overly rely on it." She smirked at them, leaning on one leg with a hand on her hip. "I'm also starting to train in Lightning Style, so don't be surprised to see something shocking."

Naruto snorted a little while Anko and Tenten smirked in amusement. Neji didn't react to the pun while Guy gave a laugh. Lee grinned at Yakumo and gave her a thumbs up. "I cannot wait to be shocked by your skills, Yakumo-chan!"

The heiress blinked at the added suffix, but she smiled all the same and nodded in thanks.

"Alright Gaki, your turn," Anko said, turning to her blonde student.

"Right," nodded Naruto. "My name's Naruto Uzumaki, and as of recently, I'm the Heir to the Uzumaki Clan. While I used to live in the Red Light District," Neji perked up a little, but was unnoticed, "I now live in my parents' old compound and plan to make my lost clan be recognized again. With me is Grayfia Lucifuge of the Lucifuge Clan."

The she-devil gave a nod of her head in greeting, hands clasped in front of her as her position's etiquette demanded. "A pleasure to meet you all. As Naruto-sama said, I am Grayfia, and I am Naruto-sama's personal retainer."

Neji frowned at this, feeling her introduction hit a bit too close to home for his liking. "His retainer? So, are you his slave?"

Grayfia rose a brow at his tone while Naruto looked disgusted. "No way!" he vehemently denied. "She's not my slave and I didn't force her into becoming my retainer! She chose to do so, and she's the one who keeps saying I'm her master no matter how many times I've said she doesn't ow me anything!"

Grayfia was touched at Naruto coming to her defense so quickly, but she decided that a clarification was needed. "Naruto-sama found me when I was weak and close to death. It was mainly thanks to his personal hand in my recovery that I am standing here before you. As much as he denies it, I owe him much and have dedicated myself to him. Everything that I have – everything that I _am_ – belongs to Naruto-sama."

Naruto blushed at this, being reminded of the night she had declared such to him while the rest of Team Anko simply looked amused at the byplay. They were used to seeing Grayfia's dedication to Naruto and his embarrassment at being placed on such a pedestal by someone of her power. Meanwhile, Team Guy had mixed reactions.

Guy and Lee were once more weeping manly tears; though this time they were for Naruto's selflessness and Grayfia's determined standing about serving him. Tenten knew that Grayfia was already Naruto's retainer, but she only knew a little about the reason why. Seeing her dedication to the blonde Uzumaki was surprisingly inspiring to the young kunoichi. As for Neji, he kept his frown.

Being a Branch House Hyuuga, he knew his life was to be one of servitude; a life he had no choice in living. Seeing this woman – one who had a stature befitting a person of power and experience – _willingly_ choose to live the life of a servant got under his skin. What bothered him more though was how Naruto – a self-admitted person of lower class – was suddenly living the life of an heir with a new home, a new servant, and – most importantly – a life better than what he was meant to live.

Somehow, someway, Naruto Uzumaki had broken free of his fate and now had a newer, more fulfilling, destiny ahead of him. It made the Hyuuga's jealousy simmer beneath his normally stoic nature.

However, he quickly – though with effort – reeled back that jealousy when their client finally showed up. Surrounded by guards and servants was a man who looked fairly young, but was already showing some girth due to his lavish lifestyle. From his legs, to his stomach, and his face there was an extra mass of skin that was proof of his weight.

Next to him was a young boy who wore a pair of glasses. Unlike the obvious Prince, the boy was of a healthy weight; though he had a look of annoyed boredom on his face. Having seen the look before, both Naruto and Neji already felt a slight dislike for the kid. He had the expression of a child who could want for nothing, and yet didn't look satisfied. For the two orphaned teens who grew up with little, the boy's expression came off as insulting.

Grayfia took note of her master's slight frown and patted his shoulder to assure him. When he gave a guilty expression in response, she merely smiled to ease his worry. She wasn't mad at him or disappointed, for she could see where he was coming from.

Coming from a house that lived to serve, she saw all types of masters. While some were kind – like her own – others were arrogant, greedy, and cruel. From what she could see, both the Prince and his obvious son were leaning towards the arrogant side of the three; with a helping of greedy for the Prince.

"Prince Michiru," greeted Guy with a crisp salute that was mirrored by his more exuberant student. "We are ready to depart at your leisure."

The Prince smiled at his ninja guards, pleased to have so many looking after him; even if most of them were still young teens. "I appreciate it. The rest of my envoy is waiting outside of these village walls, so we'll go ahead and meet up with them before heading for the ports."

Anko took this moment to speak. "Prince Michiru, my fellow Jonin and his team will watch over you and your son while my team and I will shift around the envoy and keep them protected. Team Guy is the more experienced group, so they should have no trouble keeping you both well protected."

Michiru nodded in acceptance. "That sounds just fine to me. You're the ninja here, so you would know protection better than myself." He then spotted Grayfia, and more specifically her style of clothing. "Is she accompanying us? I wasn't expecting one of you to have your own servants."

Hikaru looked up from his handheld gaming system at his father's question, taking notice of the silver haired maid and how close she stood to the blonde teen. "Is she not one of ours, father?" he asked, earning a faint frown from Naruto.

Grayfia answered the young boy, "No, young master." Team Anko all blinked at the professional tone she had. "I am not a servant of the Tsuki Royal Family. I serve the Uzumaki Clan as retainer of its sole heir, Naruto-sama." She gestured to said heir, making him wave awkwardly to Prince Michiru. "I have chosen to accompany him so that I may offer him and his comrades some assistance on his mission."

"Ah, I see. Well then, I welcome you as one of my protectors," Michiru declared with a wide smile.

"I appreciate the invitation, your highness," replied the maid with a respectful bow before she stepped back, staying just an inch behind Naruto.

"Well then, let's get moving!" Guy proclaimed before the Leaf Ninja all took their assigned positions and began their escort mission.

* * *

"I take it you're satisfied with what you saw, Kakashi?" asked Sarutobi to the Copy Ninja. Both men were in the Hokage Office with the Jonin reading his ever-present orange book.

"I must admit that her dedication to Naruto is somewhat inspiring. It reminds me of how some of our more patriotic ninja are for the Leaf. But, she also has shown some…interesting signs," noted Kakashi.

"Such as?"

Looking up slightly from his reading, the scarecrow answered, "She's been making attempts to give Naruto a more…affectionate level of bonding. From what I gathered, she shares his bed and is trying to get him to move past his mental insecurities around older women; even if she isn't notably aware he _has_ such insecurities."

Sarutobi sighed at that. "It's a shame that such a mishap happened to Naruto, and at such a young age too. Even Hana has been affected by the even; not that I should be surprised. To think that she went from striving to join the Hunter Division to studying Medical Ninjutsu." He took a drag from his pipe as he continued, "It was fortunate though that both she and Naruto were able to move on from this; even if it was only slightly."

"Why didn't you take him to Inoichi after the incident, Lord Hokage?" Kakashi asked in genuine curiosity.

"Because it would've been too risky. The boy was too young for most practices, and a Mind Delving on Inoichi's end would've been much too dangerous considering the Kyuubi." He regarded his subordinate with a regretful stare. "Believe me, I wish I could've done something more proactive in helping his mental state, but the options were limited. At least he's only nervous around them and not downright phobic of them. Such a fear would've been a serious hamper to his ninja career and his goals."

"I can imagine," agreed Kakashi. "At any rate, it seems Grayfia-san's presence in his life is definitely a beneficial one." He then couldn't help but give out a perverted giggle. "I'm also pretty anxious to see just how far she'll go to help him get over his insecurities. Naruto sure is lucky."

Hiruzen fought a blush at the implications, coughing to both clear out the sudden intake of tobacco and regain his composure. "Yes well… We'll just have to um…keep an eye on them for the time being."

All Kakashi did was let out another giggle in response.

* * *

It took longer than necessary to get to the nearest port town that would charter a ship to the Crescent Moon Kingdom. With the large group slowing them down – as well as the Prince making multiple stops to have a feast (both large and small) with his son and the Leaf Ninja – it took the group almost a week of travel; and they weren't even there yet.

Instead, they had stopped at a traveling circus troupe that put on an entertaining display for their _Honored Guests_.

It was here that we find Naruto seated on a bench outside of the circus tent with Grayfia diligently standing beside him. "This is taking forever," sighed out the whiskered blonde.

"I agree," Grayfia responded. "It is irresponsible on Prince Michiru's part to make so many stops to…engorge himself."

Naruto sighed again, resting his chin on one of his palms. "I guess excess really changes a person…"

"Only if you let it do so, Naruto-sama," assured the she-devil, earning his attention. "A weak integrity makes for an easily influenced mind; as seen in the Prince. But," here she smiled at him, "I doubt I'd have to be concerned about _your_ integrity, Naruto-sama."

He rubbed the back of his head bashfully at that. "Thanks, Grayfia-chan." Patting the spot next to him, he suggested, "Why don't you take a seat? You don't need to be standing all the time, y'know."

"I appreciate the concern, Naruto-sama, but-"

"Grayfia," he cut off, stopping her short. "I want you to sit next to me. Please," he requested sincerely.

She stared at him for a few seconds before smiling faintly. "Very well, Naruto-sama. Thank you for the invitation." She moved next to him and adjusted her uniform so that she was seated next to him comfortably. Looking to him, she saw him grinning brightly at her, which made her smile grow. "You're much more different from many of the Lords and Ladies that my house has served, Naruto-sama?"

"How so?" he queried in curiosity.

"You're incredibly considerate of my condition and feelings, compared to other masters who focus on themselves."

"Well…why wouldn't I be concerned?" he replied, his tone saying that such a notion should be the most obvious thing in the world.

She brought a hand up to her lips, demurely covering a laugh that escaped her. While he blushed at the beautiful image and sound, she answered, "I suppose that should've been expected of you by this point." Lowering her hand from her lips to his cheek, she softly caressed his face while her smile became warmer. "I'm grateful that you were the one who saved me, Naruto-kun," she said, just short of a whisper.

While his face burned at her smile, gesture, and voice, he stuttered out, "I-I'm glad I did t-too…" He then coughed into his hand, regaining some composure before smiling back at her with confidence. "I can't imagine my life now without you in it."

This time she blushed – though it was faint – at his words. But still, she retained her smile before removing her hand and sitting in comfortable silence with the blonde Uzumaki. Both human and devil watched as people went about their lives, showing contentment in their gaze and their smiles. Such a scene was a pleasant change to Naruto.

Then, his eye caught a girl, around his age, leading a large saber-toothed cat with gray fur by a leash. Thanks to his training, he was able to catch what the girl was saying to the animal. "It'll be okay, Chamū," assured the girl. "I know you don't like the performance, but the people paid to watch us." She stopped walking, crouching down so that she was face-to-muzzle with the cat. With a mischievous wink and smile, she suggested, "How about I sneak you an extra helping of food if you put a bit more _oomph_ into your act?" Her tone became singsong as she added, "I know how much you like cow~"

Chamū frowned at her for a moment before his expression lightened and he licked her cheek, making her giggle before hugging him around the neck.

"That's a good boy."

Curiosity got the better of Naruto and he decided to go introduce himself to the girl and her friend. "Hello there," he greeted, earning her attention. With a friendly smile, the Uzumaki stuck out his hand and said, "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, one of the ninja assigned to help guard the Prince. Can I ask your name?"

The girl before him was just a bit taller than he was. She had brown hair that was tied in a high tail that was braided and tied near the tips. Said tail was long enough to reach her waistline. Her eyes were a light brown color and her skin was beautifully tanned. As for clothes, she wore predominantly pink colors, with a long sleeved top that stopped above her belly button and had wide sleeves, matching colored pants that were tied at her shins in with darker pink ties, brown shoes, dark pink wrist bands, a small skirt of a more redder shade, and dark pink clothing that focused around her chest, neck, and shoulders.

Smiling in return, she happily took his hand and shook it. "Nice to meet you! My name's Ty Lee! I'm an acrobat of this circus troupe!" She then patted the tiger's head while said animal looked at Naruto warily. "This fuzzy cutie is Chamū. Say hi to the ninja, Chamū!" When the cat just gave her a deadpan stare in response, she laughed sheepishly. "Sorry. He's not really a people person."

"That's alright," assured Naruto before gesturing to his retainer. "This is Grayfia Lucifuge, a close friend of mine."

While she was pleased that Naruto viewed her as close, the she-devil couldn't help but once again give her own comment. "I'm also Naruto-sama's personal maid and retainer," she gave a faint smirk, "even if he keeps saying I don't need to be."

Naruto huffed and looked away playfully while Ty Lee giggled at their byplay. "Nice to meet you, Grayfia-san. Hey, if you're supposed to be guarding the Prince, why aren't you with him?"

Naruto waved her off with a smile. "Eh, he's got plenty of people watching him. Besides, my sensei said Grayfia and I could just hang out outside the tent. We just have to be close enough to help if something happens."

"And because you're Mr. Cool Ninja, that isn't a problem for you, is it?" teased the acrobat, though Naruto took it in stride.

"You know it!"

She giggled again at his optimistic attitude, enjoying how bright his aura was. "You're really lucky. I wish I could've been able to become a ninja too, but I'm more than happy here at the circus. Besides, even without a teacher, I was still able to pick up on a few things." She gave a confident wink and added, "I could also bring down jerks with a few taps if I wanted to."

"A few taps?" asked Naruto. "What do you mean?"

"Pressure points," Grayfia answered, earning a bright nod from Ty Lee. "It seems this young lady has extensive knowledge on the pressure points of the human body, able to pinpoint where to effectively hit and disable anyone she has an issue with."

"That's right! See, when I was training my body to be more flexible and agile, I also took the time to study from some of the physicians here in the troupe. Sometimes, they had to numb a patient's body since we don't have much supplies like anesthetics. So, I picked up on a few things and now I know enough to either take some jerk down, or to help someone relax."

"That…is seriously cool," Naruto praised with a look of amazement. "I'd love to have a spar with you sometime after the show." He then looked unsure as he added, "Well, that is if we don't immediately afterwards and you're okay with it?"

She smiled and nodded eagerly. "Oh, I'm _so_ up to it! If your team stays after the show, come find me and we'll definitely have that spar; promise!"

Naruto grinned back and the two teens shook on it before the acrobat waved him farewell and resumed leading Chamū to the tent. "She was nice."

"I agree; though I'm honestly curious about her potential here," mused Grayfia.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, based on what she said, she has a fair level of physical training, as well as some self-taught ninja exercises under her belt. Not to mention her knowledge on something as complex as the human body's most sensitive points of pressure. While she could become a great acrobat – maybe even a phenomenal one – wouldn't you agree that she could also become an effective kunoichi, Naruto-sama?"

He blinked at that before cupping his chin thoughtfully. "You have a good point… But, even if she would have a good shot, this place is most likely her home and these people are probably like family to her. It'd be hard for her to walk away from it all to pursue a different path in life."

"Understandable," agreed Grayfia. "I was merely putting it out there, Naruto-sama. It shouldn't be much of an issue to merely suggest the idea to her, after all."

He smiled at that, nodding in agreement. "I'll be sure to bring it up to her after the show. Maybe Anko-nee will consider teaching her some stuff. I mean, we _are_ short a Genin after all."

Grayfia smiled in return, showing a faint glint in her eye at the prospect of Ty Lee becoming a kunoichi. "That you are, Naruto-sama. That you are…"

* * *

 **And there you have it; chapter four!**

 **Now, I know that it's definitely shorter than previous chapters, but PLEASE understand that it's hard for me to find enough time to get typing done. With all my stories, PLUS a** _ **Naruto/RWBY**_ **crossover that I'm in the midst of planning, it's getting harder.**

 **Not to mention the fact that my job bent me over and practically f***ed me in the ass by moving me out of my morning shift…**

 **At any rate, the outside female character has been revealed! Ty Lee from** _ **Avatar: The Last AirBender**_ **has ALWAYS been a favorite character of mine! She's effective, beautiful, cheerful, and just so darn adorable that I couldn't help but put her in!**

 **Before you ask or beg for me to, she is NOT gonna be paired with Naruto. This is a single pairing story and Grayfia is the woman for Naruto in this! You all probably saw how I'm starting to develop a Lee/Yakumo romance, but I have someone already in mind for Ty Lee!**

 **Here's a hint: he gets ragged on a lot by fans of** _ **Naruto**_ **.**

 **Good luck guessing who the lucky bastard is!**

 **Until next time!**

 **pain17ification**


	5. Chapter 5: Guardians of the Moon (pt 2)

**Yo! Here comes the next chapter!**

 **Sorry that it took so long!**

 **As with all of my FanFiction stories, I own nothing!**

* * *

 _A Sun's Devilish Maid_

 _Chapter Five: Guardians of the Crescent Moon (Part 2)_

* * *

To Naruto's luck, the Prince had decided to buy the entire circus after having come to greatly enjoy their performance. Apparently, Hikaru had shown up one of their performers with his archery, and when he showed interest in Chamū, it was enough for Michiru to buy the entire circus.

While disgusted at the impulsive greed, Naruto wouldn't argue how it worked in his favor of trying to help Ty Lee become a kunoichi. Now, he just needed to speak to Anko about possibly adding her into the team. "Yo, sensei!"

Anko, who was seated atop the royal carriage, looked down at her friend slash student. "Sup, brat?"

"Wanted to ask you about something that came up the other day," he answered, grinning at her. "You mind hearing me out?"

She rose a brow before shrugging. "Eh, sure," she replied before getting off the carriage and easily falling in step with him. "Go on."

"There's this girl in the circus troupe – one of the acrobats – who's got some training with chakra control and even pressure points," he began. "She looks like she wants to learn how to be a kunoichi, but she's still a bit unsure about leaving the troupe. I was wondering if you'd like to help me convince her to join our team."

"You want me to take on another brat?" she asked incredulously. "I'm already having trouble just teaching you and Yakumo!"

"I know, and I can't thank you enough for training us the best you can. But c'mon, sensei! How often will we get an opportunity like this; to help someone who has the potential to become a kunoichi _actually_ become one?"

Anko palmed her face and sighed. "You're killing me, kid…"

"If I may," began Grayfia, who had been walking beside Naruto the whole time. "Perhaps I could offer some outside perspective."

The violette looked to the maid and asked, "And that perspective would be…?"

"From my understanding, the skills the young woman told both Naruto-sama and myself about were quite impressive. To understand the human body and the specific points that could break it down or fortify it is no small feat. Putting that knowledge into combative practice is an even greater feat of potential."

"The point?" pressed Anko, still a bit annoyed at possibly taking on another student.

"I believe that it would be as Naruto-sama said if you did nothing; a wasted opportunity. Plus, imagine it from another angle," the silverette devil smirked, "you could be seen as a very promising Jonin and instructor for taking in someone with talent, _nurturing_ that talent, and then _showcasing_ it for your peers to see."

This made Anko pause and look thoughtful while Naruto grinned at Grayfia. The maid gave a soft smile at the proud look he gave her, enjoying how she had succeeded in his eyes.

"That's…not a bad argument there, Chambermaid," mused the Jonin. "It almost makes up for suckering me into another student." Here, she gave Naruto a pointed look, and he gave a sheepish one in response. "Ugh… Fine! I'll see what she's got before making any final decisions. BUT," she gave them both a hard look, "it must be her choice. Got it?"

"Yep!" agreed the blonde Uzumaki with a grin.

"Of course," Grayfia replied.

* * *

A couple days' worth of travel later, and the entire group had finally reached the port town they were set to sail from to the Crescent Moon Kingdom. During that time, Anko had gone over some tactical training with her students, having them broaden their minds since they couldn't do any physical training for the time being.

To her enjoyment, both of her students had opposite forms of strategizing; which was good. It allowed for multiple ways to look at or tackle a problem at hand. For Yakumo, she liked to take the time to look over the details of the situation before she came up with a plan; showing the patience she had gained from her years of painting.

As for Naruto, he was an on the fly kind of thinker; something that was a little difficult to do in a theoretical exercise. But, when he gave Anko his quickly made plans in response to a situation, she would try to throw curveballs at him to throw him off. But, he kept giving quick solutions that had high probabilities for success. It was something that she had seen in only a few people in her time as a kunoichi.

Other things that the two Genin practiced were the first stages of their elemental manipulation. For Yakumo, she was getting the hang of channeling Lightning Style chakra through her hands; but she couldn't get the charge right to magnetize the metal she had been given to train with. Still, she had enough of a basic idea for Anko to give her a jutsu scroll to study.

In Naruto's case, the training was going well. He had a bag of leaves he had gathered while they were still on shore and he had been able to cut them halfway with his Wind Style chakra. With Grayfia assisting him, he was slowly getting better and was hoping to have the leaf fully cut by the time they reached the kingdom's shores.

Lastly, Naruto had spoken with Ty Lee about becoming a kunoichi. While surprised that she would be given a chance, she was still on the fence about taking the opportunity. The circus was her home, and the troupe was her family. It was all she had known, and it would be hard to leave them behind.

Thinking about it, and picturing himself in her shoes, Naruto gave her space and time to think it over. He didn't want to push her into making a rushed decision; even if he really hoped she would say yes. Just from their few talks, Naruto had found a friend in the acrobat, and he wanted to help her get the chance to become something she had hoped to be.

"Naruto-sama," Grayfia spoke up, breaking him from his thoughts as he leaned on the railing of the ship, looking out to the horizon. "Enjoying the view?"

He chuckled sheepishly at the smirk she gave him before standing beside him. "Yeah… I never got to see anything like this back home. We're nowhere near the sea, after all."

"True. But, from what we've both read concerning your mother's clan, it's no surprise that you have such a reaction to the sea."

"Reaction? What do you mean?" he asked, turning to her.

With her gaze to the horizon, and the sunset bathing her in its glow, he found his breath lost to him. It was such a perfect image that he wanted to preserve it forever; especially with the faint smile on her lips.

 _'Beautiful…'_ was all his mind could think of at the sight.

He fought down the blush on his face when she turned to face him, bringing it down to a faint dusting on sheer willpower alone. "When you were staring across the sea, you had a relaxed posture, Naruto-sama; as if all of your troubles were left on the shore you sailed away from. I can only imagine that the sunset only helped you relax, since you never miss an opportunity to watch one," she explained, teasing him a bit at the end.

He rubbed the back of his head bashfully, giving an embarrassed grin at the truthful quip Grayfia made. "Can you blame me, though? There's almost nothing that beats watching the changing skylights that the sun makes as it sets."

"If almost nothing beats it, then what _does_ beat it, Naruto-sama?" the she-devil asked, honestly curious. To her interest, he stiffened at the question and looked away from her almost shyly, growing red in the face. It took only a moment for her to see the answer, and it brought a smile to her lips. "Oh, I understand. Thank you for sharing, Naruto-kun," she said softly, making sure they were alone before she leaned over and pecked him on the cheek, making his blush deepen.

"I, uh… That is…" Despite his past misfortune with older women scarring him mentally, Naruto bashfully tripped over his words for a bit longer before he coughed and regained his composure. "I was happy to, Grayfia-chan," he replied, his voice just as soft as hers. _'You make me feel…safer,'_ he added mentally, once again grateful for having the she-devil in his life.

The two shared a smile before they turned to watch the sunset once more. Only this time, the silverette moved closer to her beloved master, grasping his hand in her own with the utmost care. Fighting his "flight" instincts, Naruto did nothing to push her away; which in turn made her heart warm since she knew that his walls were breaking around her.

He was letting her in, showing his trust in her and letting her help him recover. And it was in knowing this that Grayfia was never happier.

* * *

 _All good things must come to an end_

 _For every good thing, there is something equally bad_

 _Murphy's Law_

No matter what saying was used, Naruto was _not_ happy at the moment. A massive storm had rolled in, rocking the ship and damaging it enough for it to start sinking. Thankfully, there were trained ninja on board, along with a (literal) devil in disguise.

With their help, they were able to keep everyone, both human and animal alike, from being dragged to the cold depths of the sea.

However, that wasn't the real reason Naruto was upset. No, what got under his skin was how apathetic Hikaru seemed to be towards the circus animals at first when the ship started sinking. He had been the one to convince Prince Michiru to buy the circus, and because he lost interest in them within a few days, he felt no sense of responsibility or care for them; or the animals that were part of it.

This disgusted the Uzumaki, and he tore into the boy for his selfish nature, calling him trash before he went to help anyone he could. He didn't know the effect the words had on the young boy.

So, as he was helping the animals, he was surprised to see Hikaru trying to help Ty Lee get Chamū out of his cage so that he wouldn't be caught in the rising water. He couldn't help raising a brow at that, but he ignored it in favor of breaking the lock so that the four of them could escape.

Once they reached the top deck, they saw that Grayfia was maintaining an ice bridge using water from the sea that led to an island nearby. She had a little trouble maintaining the ice's structural integrity since a lot of people and animals were crossing it while the storm raged around them and chipped away at the ice.

"Hurry!" she called to them, prompting all but Naruto to rush across the bridge while being careful not to slip.

"Grayfia…"

"I'll be fine, Naruto-sama! Just go!" she urged.

He frowned at that and shook his head. "No, I'm not leaving you. I'm not losing someone important to me because they pushed their limits too far."

She couldn't help but be touched at how he saw her. "You don't need to-" she tried to argue, but her words died at the fierceness in his azure orbs.

"I won't leave you! What happens if you're too exhausted to make it to shore?!" He was forced to steady himself while forming a clone to help steady Grayfia, the ship rocking dangerously from the storm. "I'm not going to leave you," he stressed once more, his eyes softening and showing absolute care for her safety. "You're too important to me, Grayfia-chan…"

His words impacted her deeply, and she couldn't help the smile on her lips as happiness surged within her core. With a nod, she said nothing more and focused on maintaining the bridge, keeping an eye for anyone left on it. Once it was cleared, she let go of her hold on it, letting the storm break it apart and drag the ice into the raging sea.

She fell to a knee after dropping it, not having to do something as demanding as that for a while. She was supported by Naruto, who had one of her arms over his shoulders to help her stand.

"Can you move?" he asked, using chakra to keep his feet in place while holding onto her tightly.

"Yes, but my body is sore," she replied, grateful that he was so stubborn to stay.

"Hang on. I'm gonna try to give you some of my chakra," he informed, focusing on passing some along to her.

Thanks to her training before the Devil Civil War, she had experience with taking in energy from others. While chakra was different from her magic reserves, it still gave her energy to use so that she could form a teleportation circle. She would've done this for the others, but she couldn't make one large enough; needing another powerful devil to help her do so.

"Brace yourself," she warned before they vanished, just in time for one final wave to drag the ship completely into the depths of the sea.

* * *

Despite the storm, losing their ship, and being stranded ashore, fortune still smiled on the people. It turns out that the storm had veered the ship to a small island that was close to the Crescent Moon Kingdom. They just needed to find a sea-worthy vessel at the nearest port town.

Anko didn't particularly care for that, though. What she _was_ worried about was her student and his maid, since they had not crossed that ice bridge with herself or the others. It still surprised her that Miss Chambermaid had the Ice Style bloodline, but she put that aside for more important concerns.

"Hyuuga!" she barked out, catching him and his teammates by surprise. "Put those eyes of yours to some use and find out where the gaki is, pronto!"

While he was annoyed at how she made an order sound insulting, he complied since she was his superior in rank. Activating his Byakugan, Neji scanned the area for the high chakra levels that the Uzumaki had, or for the rather odd energy core that his vassal had.

"Anything?" prompted Anko, growing impatient in her worry.

"Nothing so far. They might have- Hold on," he cut himself off and looked down the beach, narrowing his eyes as he pumped some more chakra into them. "They're over there. They just appeared with some kind of transportation technique, and Uzumaki-san's maid is low on power."

"What about young Naruto?" Guy asked before Anko could.

"He's fine. His chakra has lessened some, but he still has plenty to use. From what I can see, he's transferring some of it to Lucifuge-san."

Guy and Anko nodded at that and the senior Jonin offered to keep an eye on Yakumo while Anko went to fetch Naruto and Grayfia. She gave him a grateful look before leaving in a _Body Flicker_ and landing before her student as he sat behind Grayfia, palms on her back and chakra glowing on his hands. Grayfia herself was seated cross-legged in front of him and silently enjoyed the warmth his chakra gave her as it replenished her own devil power.

"What happened?" Anko questioned, not in her usual playful attitude.

"Grayfia-chan was trying to keep the bridge she made intact while that storm was rocking the ship," the blonde Uzumaki answered, not losing focus on directing his chakra flow.

Grayfia picked up where he left off. "It was more taxing on me than I estimated and Naruto-sama had to transfer some of his chakra to me so that I could get us both to shore. I'm still rather drained from it all, so Naruto-sama insisted that he give me some more of his chakra so that I could move on my own."

"I wasn't aware that you possessed a bloodline, Chambermaid," Anko noted, crossing her arms with a brow raised. "Any other secrets you think I should be aware of?"

"They're not for me to say, Mitarashi-san," replied the she-devil in a professional tone, sensing the tension growing between herself and the violette Jonin.

Before anything serious could happen, Naruto stopped his chakra flow and took a breath before turning to his sensei. "Anko-chan," he began, getting her attention, "there _is_ something else that we haven't told you yet. But, the Old Man knows already and he was the one who helped me give Grayfia-chan a place to stay in the Leaf. I promise that I'll tell you what's going on when we have a free moment; but I think we should get back to the others and figure out what to do now that we don't have a ship."

The answer made Anko frown since she thought that there had been no secrets between herself and the lovable idiot that was her friend and student. However, when she looked back, she knew that she hadn't told him all of her secrets either, and it wouldn't be right to demand him to tell his own to her; especially if the Hokage already knew about the situation. Plus, the kid was right about them having more pressing concerns.

"Fair enough," she relented, easing the tension in the air by giving her signature grin. "Be sure to remember that promise, brat. You're a man of your word, after all."

He grinned back and nodded. "Of course, I am!" he boasted and the two shared a small laugh as Naruto and Grayfia stood up from the sand.

Seeing her master and his friend once again behaving regularly amongst themselves calmed down the concern Grayfia had been feeling. She was worried that the tension would damage the relationship between Naruto and Anko, and while she may not like the woman, she still respected her bond with her master.

 _'I wonder how she'll react to my devil heritage,'_ she mused as she followed her Naruto-sama and his teacher/friend.

* * *

It was agreed that the circus troupe would stay behind on the island while the ninja escorted the Prince and his son to the kingdom. With such a large group, it'd be hard on the ninja to keep everyone safe.

That sounded good on paper to Naruto, but he was still worried about his newest friend, Ty Lee. So, he left behind a clone to look after her and keep her company. The girl appreciated the thoughtful gesture and took advantage of it by talking one-on-one with the copy.

"So, why do you want me to become a kunoichi so badly?" she asked, hoping to get to the heart of the issue and not dance around it.

"Honestly? Boss thinks you're a great person who has awesome potential to become a kunoichi," the clone answered. "You told Boss that you had wanted to be a kunoichi before you joined the circus and found a family with them. He doesn't want to force you away from the life you love, but he also doesn't want to see you miss your chance to give your old dream another shot." He shrugged with a smile and added, "Plus, the fact that Boss's team is one Genin short doesn't hurt. If you get accepted, there's already an open spot for you to fill."

She looked down in thought at the answer. "How do you think my chances are?"

"Boss seems to think that your chances are great. You know about chakra, you have great physical conditioning, and you know something that not many ninja – besides medics and maybe some Hyuuga Clan members – know about."

"And I'd have to stay in the Hidden Leaf if I became a member?" she continued.

"Yes, you would until you retired or were relieved of service," answered the clone truthfully. "It's something that we're all informed of the moment we apply for the program."

She frowned at that. "How long as average service?"

The clone blinked at the question, not having expected it. "Uh… I don't think Boss knows the answer to that. If I had to guess for him, I'd guess a couple of years at least; maybe 2-3, tops."

"Three years…" murmured the girl, thinking of how big of a negative that was. "It's still hard to decide," she noted, sounding almost frustrated with how she couldn't make up her mind.

"The answer is easy, Ty Lee," a woman spoke up, making the girl turn to the speaker.

"Mitsuko-senpai?" she asked, surprised at the woman's words.

"You know that I've looked out for you ever since you joined our little family," she began, sitting down next to Ty Lee and the cloned Uzumaki. "You're like the little sister I always wanted, and I love having you here with us. But Ty-chan," she reached over and patted her on the shoulder with a smile, "this life isn't what you were made for. You're a wonderful acrobat, and will always be one of us; but becoming a ninja of one of the Great Five? Who could ask for a higher calling?"

Ty Lee looked away at her words. "…I'm scared to go," she answered softly.

"I know," Mitsuko replied, her tone soothing and understanding. "But just because you won't be with us doesn't mean we won't be with you. You've touched us all, Ty-chan, and I think we've done the same for you. Besides," here, the woman winked conspiratorially, "I think we might need to make a few stops around the Land of Fire's more prominent hotspots."

The young woman couldn't help but laugh at that, smiling gratefully for the older woman's words and support. Leaning forward, she hugged Mitsuko, who returned the gesture wholeheartedly. "Thank you, nee-chan."

Mitsuko smiled a bit wider at that, rubbing the girl's back comfortingly. "Anytime, imouto."

The whole moment left the clone with a mixed feeling of happiness and slight envy. But, he crushed that negative feeling in favor of being happy for his friend. This moment was for her, after all.

* * *

Back with the others, they had been able to secure a small boat that would take them to the main island where the Crescent Moon Kingdom was placed. To their concern, they needed to arrive inconspicuously since Michiru had been away for too long, and was unaware of the current events of his homeland.

Sadly, while he was away, his father – the King – had gone missing with most of his royal guard. This left the throne open for one of his advisors, Shabadaba to take, with the help of three rogue ninja. The King's whereabouts were still unknown, and Michiru and Hikaru were now obvious targets for assassination since they were the only ones who could rightfully take the throne back from Shabadaba.

Upon arrival at the island, the two ninja teams decided that they needed to come up with a plan to help the Prince take back his kingdom.

"We need a way to scout out what we're going up against," Anko began before she pulled out a flyer that she had spotted at the port. "It looks like there's supposed to be some big shindig that'll have all kinds of fancy guests."

"No doubt that the guy who took the throne will be showing off his new wealth to his guests," commented Yakumo with distaste.

"Which means that we'll need someone to go in disguise at the party," Neji added before turning his attention to Naruto.

"What?" asked the Uzumaki with a raised brow.

"I believe you should be the one to go, along with Lucifuge-san," the Hyuuga answered.

"Us? Why us?" Naruto asked, not seeing it.

Grayfia picked up on it, though. "Naruto-sama, if you come under the guise of royalty, you would be able to enter the party with relative ease. The fact that I'm a maid who's sworn herself to you will only help the disguise be more believable."

Tenten smirked at that, finding Naruto's surprise to the idea humorous. "I say we let them do it."

"Yosh! I agree with my teammates!" Lee exclaimed, giving a thumbs-up to the idea.

"That's not a bad idea, Hyuuga," praised Anko, smirking at the young man. "Good thinking."

"I agree! Excellent idea, my student!" Guy added, giving his signature pose to the Hyuuga prodigy.

"I only wanted to make sure this mission went as smoothly as possible," Neji replied, playing off how he secretly enjoyed the praise. As a Branch Member, he found that praise outside of his clan was more rewarding than seeking _their_ approval.

"But-" Naruto tried to say before he was silenced by Grayfia gently gripping his shoulder.

When she had his attention, she assured him, "We'll be fine, Naruto-sama. Just…imagine it as one of your pranks."

She felt a little silly at saying that, but the message got through to her master and he slowly agreed to the idea. So, while Naruto and Grayfia would disguise themselves as guests, the others would scout the palace and try to take care of the rumored rogue ninja.

Well, Team 9 would be doing that since they were the more experienced team. Anko and Yakumo would be searching for any clues on the whereabouts of the rightful ruler of the Crescent Moon Kingdom. If they could find him, and the royal guards that left with him, they would have a better chance at taking the throne back.

This left Naruto and Grayfia to think of how Naruto would disguise himself and bribe his way into the party. It took but a moment for an idea to hit him, and he grinned at how fortunate it was that he had made friends with an acrobat.

One that was part of a _circus troupe_ that was just a boat ride away.

* * *

The gala was in full-swing by the time Naruto had gotten the circus troupe into the kingdom. He would forever be grateful for his clan's prowess with sealing being in his blood, for he had been able to make seals that not only stored the circus equipment, but were also safe enough to store living things in them (such as circus animals, for example) while the human members of the troupe would take the boat ride to the main island.

Arriving at the party in style, Naruto and Grayfia were able to basically buy their way into the party when the Uzumaki heir _offered_ the troupe as a _gift_ to Shabadaba; one that the greedy lump of skin and lard accepted all to gleefully.

Naruto once again made a mental promise to never give into greed and excessive wealth.

Using the _Transformation_ technique to increase his age, Naruto showed up in a formal kimono (something he _loathed_ wearing) while looking like what he believed he would look like as a man in his early twenties.

His hair was shorter than normal, his baby fat was all gone, and his body was lean. He was now taller than Grayfia, changing his height to just under six feet, and his blue eyes were as expressive as ever. To finish off the look, he changed his hair color to his mother's so that he would "look the part" of an Uzumaki heir.

Personally, while Grayfia liked how her master looked in this form, she felt that his natural blonde hair suited him better. He looked good with red hair, but it reminded her too much of Sirzechs Gremory; someone she respected more than cherished (unlike her Naruto-sama). Aside from the hair, she didn't mind what her beloved master came up with for his "older look"; part of her tempted to hope that it would become real in the coming years.

Once inside, Naruto secretly made clones that took on guises of unassuming people that blended into the crowd and scouted the place. He was about to do the same, but music began to play and he found himself bumping into people as they made their way to the large dance floor for a formal dance.

He paled at this, never having done anything like this before. He was about to panic, but he was saved by Grayfia approaching him from the side and taking his hand, easing him into the correct beginning stance for a traditional waltz; a dance that was both graceful and exotic to the Crescent Moon Kingdom, and one that Grayfia had seen her previous master's family take part in many times.

"Just follow my lead, Naruto-kun," she whispered, earning a nervous nod from him as the music moved from its introduction to the natural beat of the waltz.

The whole time the music played, Grayfia led him through the motions of the dance, giving him a reassuring smile with every step, every turn, and every twirl. Slowly, Naruto began to find his own rhythm to match the graceful beat, and he found Grayfia relinquishing the lead to him just as slowly.

By the time the music hit its crescendo, Naruto was in control and he had a faint smile on his face that matched Grayfia's. and as they danced, they found themselves unconsciously drowning out everything else save for the music and their dance partner. With his transformation's new height, Grayfia had to look up into his eyes while he looked down into hers.

Azure blue got lost in silvery gray, and his heart began to skip a few beats when he saw how peaceful Grayfia looked, smiling warmly at him with her eyes glistening in the light of the ballroom.

 _'Grayfia-chan… What are you doing to me?'_ he thought as he felt _every_ wall he had put up crumbling down like they were nothing. He felt her breaking them down and solidifying a place amongst people he deemed precious, and instead of being afraid at how fast it was going, he found himself happy; at peace for the first time in a long time.

And in that peaceful feeling, he smiled back just as warmly to her and pulled her just a fraction closer in between their steps. It was so small that almost no one would notice; but she did, and it made her heart race.

It wouldn't be much longer now. Soon, he would let her in completely and she would stay by his side. For she was more than just a maid and vassal of this wonderful young man.

She was someone who loved him.

* * *

As the dance was going on downstairs, Team 9 had run into the rogue ninja that Shabadaba was rumored to have hired. They wore blank headbands to show they were affiliated with no village, and the leader was a man with orange hair by the name of Ishidate. Flanking him was a taller man with black hair named Kongō, and a short woman with white hair named Karenbana.

"Might Guy, I presume," greeted Ishidate with a smirk full of arrogance. "This may actually prove to be a challenge. Kongō, Karenbana, take out the brats. The Green Beast is mine," he ordered before rushing the taijutsu master of the Hidden Leaf.

"Watch each other's backs," Guy ordered as he blurred out of sight and kicked his opponent into another room before following him.

Kongō grinned maliciously at the Genin while Karenbana had a smug smirk on her face. "A bunch of brats?" she asked rhetorically. "This'll be a snap."

"Formation 3," Neji ordered, being second-in-command of the team. Tenten took position behind them while Lee stood beside Neji. "Engage!"

Lee charged first, moving at high speed despite the weights he had strapped onto his shins. He was upon Kongō in a near blink, but the man was able to punish the frontal assault with a brutal punch to the Genin's face. "Nice try, brat," he sneered.

Meanwhile, Karenbana had disappeared from their view as red rose petals seemed to dance around them all. To the Genin, they felt their motions and senses being dulled slightly, and Tenten was the first to notice the cause.

"There's something in the air," she noted, reacting too slow to fully dodge a cut that hit her in the upper arm. "And that woman's genjutsu is making it worse."

"Not bad," the woman's voice echoed around them, choosing Tenten and Neji as her opponents while Kongō took on Lee alone. "You're right though, girly. It's a colorless and odorless toxin that we've used for years. We're immune to it." The two Genin received many cuts as she spoke, barely able to avoid them being too deep. "Are you?" she taunted as the rose petals grew in number.

Neji frowned at her taunts and boasting, becoming quickly annoyed with them as his Byakugan broke through her illusion thanks to seeing her chakra core moving about. However, the gaseous toxin was still throwing off his body's natural reaction timing, making it difficult to land a retaliatory hit on the woman.

He struck out with a few Gentle Fist strikes, but they only hit her loose clothing and not her body, making her once again give a taunt he didn't bother to pay attention to. In the corner of his eye, he saw his female teammate brandishing a pair of butterfly swords and try to hit the woman, but she was having less luck than he was.

He tried to think of a means to combat the woman's toxin before he saw a couple of windows. Smirking, he called out, "Tenten, break the glass!"

She looked confused for just a moment before she caught on and smirked as well. With great aim, despite the toxin, she threw multiple kunai that shattered the windows and let in the nighttime air, filtering out the poison slowly while the two Genin remained focused on dodging, stalling for time.

* * *

With Lee, he had combated the toxin by opening the first of the Hidden Gates; something he was reluctant to do since it wasn't with permission from his teacher. However, the increased power it gave, thanks to giving him 100% usage of his body's natural strength, helped cancel the toxins effects. As a result, he started to slowly gain the advantage over Kongō during their taijutsu exchange.

 _'He doesn't use any jutsu,'_ mused the bowl-cut Genin. It was odd that the man wouldn't use a natural ninja skill against him, but the teen chalked it up to arrogance on the man's part. _'Very well then,'_ he mused before he removed his leg warmers and stripped off the weights.

The weights themselves were multiple bars of iron that were able to be linked together through either slots or chains (resulting in a staff weapon or nunchaku). With his true speed, Lee dashed around and began to form a heavy iron staff that he used to smash Kongō into the air before using the _Dancing Leaf Shadow_ technique to appear above him, slamming the end of his weapon into the man's chest and sending him crashing down onto the ground below.

As he landed, Lee felt the strain his body went through catch up to him and make breathing difficult. "That…should be it," he said to himself, taking a breath between his words.

However, Kongō was able to get up; much to Lee's shock. "You…" the man growled out before he roared, "little bastard!"

With that roar came a surprisingly fast lariat that forced Lee into a flipping motion with its power. Catching the Genin's leg as he was careening, Kongō gave a cruel grin before he slammed him down, making Lee bounce back up slightly from the sheer force of it, and then kicked him brutally into the wall; making it gain multiple spiderweb-like cracks in it.

"Had enough, you little runt?" taunted the man.

With a groan, Lee got back up on his feet, standing a bit shakily but still giving the man a determined glare. "Not even close!" he declared, pulling out a weapon Tenten had him practice with; a weighted chain.

With skillful maneuvering, Lee had the chain gain enough moment to stretch out and wrap around Kongō before he opened the Second Gate. With his body recovered slightly, he blurred in front of Kongō and kicked him upwards from the chin. He then pulled out two smaller chains and wrapped them around his fists before leaping upwards, once again appearing above the man.

" _Leaf Iron Fist Lotus_! (1)" the youthful Genin roared, punching Kongō relentlessly as the two shot down onto the ground and impacted the floor, cratering it severely and rendering the man in enough pain to leave him unconscious. Lee was breathing heavily after his technique but he still smiled brightly at his success. "I did it, Guy-sensei…"

* * *

Back with Neji and Tenten, the two had filtered enough of the poison to fight back. This left Karenbana in shock since she didn't think her poison mist would ever fail her, and it made her wide open for a combined barrage of Gentle Fist strikes and dozens of senbon that left her chakra network restrained and her body paralyzed.

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief at the end of their fight, their bodies stinging from the dozens of cuts they had received from the woman. "You alright?" Neji asked.

"I'll be fine," she answered, appreciating the show of concern. "Let's go see if Lee needs help."

"He's fine," assured the Hyuuga. "He finished off his opponent before we did, and he's catching his breath most likely. From what I could see, he used a dangerous technique that hurt him as well."

"The _Lotus_ , probably," Tenten deduced, earning a nod.

"Let's go help him up before we find sensei. Something was off about his opponent; something that has me on edge."

His teammate frowned at that before the two went to fetch Lee.

* * *

Back with Naruto and Grayfia, they had been swarmed by the guards that were paid off by Shabadaba. Once the fighting upstairs got more intense, it sent the guests into a panic and Naruto quickly dropped his _Transformation_ before he and Grayfia began to deal with the, in her words, rabble.

He found the sophisticated word for _trash_ to be humorous.

To his surprise, and joy, Ty Lee had joined them and was showcasing just how skilled she was with pressure points by striking guards left and right, rendering them immobile after a few quick jabs before cartwheeling away towards her next target.

"She really is quite skilled," Grayfia commented, absently waving her hand fan and sending a few guards away with a blast of wind. "You were fortunate to find her, Naruto-sama."

"I'll say," he agreed. "Looks like she made a decision, too." He formed a few clones to take on some more guards while he noticed Shabadaba trying to make a run for it. "Oh no, you don't!" he yelled out, swinging his arm forward and sending out a golden chakra chain that raced for the man, wrapping around his legs and making him fall with a shout of surprise. With a yank, Naruto pulled the man from the stairs he was running up and had him land in front of him. "Going somewhere, _your majesty_?" he asked, sarcastically calling him by the title.

"Please, don't hurt me!" he begged pathetically. "I'll give you whatever you want! Money, status, women! Anything!"

Scoffing in disgust, Naruto turned to his new friend and asked, "Do you mind?"

With a playful salute, Ty Lee hit one pressure point and knocked out the begging man in an instant. "That was more satisfying than I thought it'd be."

"Glad you enjoyed yourself," he joked, making the both of them laugh while Grayfia merely smiled in amusement. "Well, I'd say that wraps up things."

"Already?" a familiar voice asked in an almost pouty tone, making the three of them turn to see Anko looking upset while Yakumo was fighting her amusement. "You didn't leave any for us?"

Sheepishly, Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Sorry, sensei. You snooze, you lose."

"Tch, cheeky brat," groused the woman playfully.

"So, did you find the king?"

That made the two women frown. "Yeah, we did. Turns out one of those rogue ninja got him with some sort of petrification technique. He was already a foot in the grave when we got the prince and his son to him."

Yakumo added, "It was horrible. Parts of his body were stone and he was fighting to stay alive just to give his son one last piece of advice before he died." Shaking her head sadly, she finished, "It was a lesson about greed and wealth that the prince should've been told a long time ago…"

Naruto and Grayfia frowned alongside Anko at that while Ty Lee looked sympathetically sad for the late king. "Well, we should go check on Guy-sensei and the others. Hopefully they took care of the rogues."

* * *

Turns out Guy didn't even need to put in a real effort to take down Ishidate. The man had grown overconfident and overly reliant on his petrification gauntlet that he neglected any other kind of training. Since Guy was _far_ more experienced in taijutsu than the man, he took down the rogue without any issues.

The mission had been a success. Michiru was crowned king and he had decided to really take his father's final lesson to heart; him and Hikaru. The new prince of the Crescent Moon Kingdom also apologized to the others for his behavior, and promised Naruto that he wouldn't become _trash_ ever again.

That earned him an apology from the Uzumaki for the insult.

The ninja were all rewarded for their efforts, being given gifts as a bonus for helping Michiru take back his homeland. Guy and Lee were given free weighted clothing from the kingdom's seamstress; which they immediately took to wearing to improve their "youthful training".

Tenten was given a sword that the royal guard used, the metal being made of a steel that slightly outclassed her weapons. She promised to take good care of it.

Neji requested a formal letter of gratitude so that he could present it to the Head of the Hyuuga Clan. He didn't really want anything else since he wanted to show his uncle that he was doing more than the Main House was.

Anko was gifted with high quality sake that she already planned to share with her friends back home. She was looking forward to a night with her gals.

Yakumo requested one of the art pieces that Michiru had, finding it to be an inspiring piece that she would study and incorporate into her own paintings. She found herself a little flustered when Lee showed an interest in her hobby and asked to see her finished work; though she still agreed to show him.

Ty Lee, having been accepted by Anko as the final member of Team 11, was given a messenger dove that she would use to write to Mitsuko and the others. Alongside her, Chamū sat obediently, having decided to leave with the caring acrobat-turned-kunoichi. Anko knew she was going to enjoy the look on the Hokage's face at the new additions to the Hidden Leaf.

Grayfia was given a more ceremonial fan that the late Queen once had in her possession. It was a beautiful piece that she accepted humbly, planning to use it as a decorative piece for her room at the Uzumaki Compound.

And finally, Naruto was given a scroll from Hikaru as both a gift of thanks and apology. He didn't know what the scroll held, but based on the red spiral on it, he knew that it belonged to his clan. Grateful for being given something that belonged to his people, Naruto gave the King and Prince a respectful bow.

With everything all squared away, and the mission payment sealed up and kept safe by Anko, the two teams of Leaf Ninja, alongside their newest members, boarded the ship that would take them as close to home as possible. It was a long mission, and they were looking forward to returning.

The whole ride back, Grayfia stayed beside her beloved master, the two enjoying the other's company as they rode across the sea.

* * *

 **1~ Lee's final attack against Kongō didn't have a name that I could find. So, I decided to give it one. I hope it fits.**

 **And that's that! Chapter Five is FINALLY finished!**

 **Lord above, this took me a LONG time to get finished. I was constantly adding bits and pieces here and there, as well as editing it as I came back to it over the course of about a month.**

 **Yes, a MONTH.**

 **But, it's done now and I can only hope that it turned out great! Please let me know how it came out and give me plenty of feedback! Feedback will help me improve the coming chapters!**

 **Grayfia is making major progress with Naruto, and soon they will finally make that connection that she's hoping for! Let's hope nothing hampers her efforts since the Chunin Exams are right around the corner!**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


	6. Chapter 6: A Heart to Heart

**Update time, ladies and gents!**

 _ **pain17ification**_ **owns nothing**

* * *

 _A Sun's Devilish Maid_

 _Chapter Six: A Heart to Heart_

* * *

Leaning against the rail on the deck of the ship was Naruto, his mind wandering as he thought over his first high-ranked mission. According to Anko and Guy, the mission was slightly higher than a standard C-Rank, considering the threat that had been involved. So, instead of a C-Rank Mission, it had been bumped up to B-Rank.

He wasn't complaining, instead being happy that he already had a successful B-Rank Mission under his belt as a fresh Genin. Plus, he made a new friend who became his second Genin teammate through it all. He was perfectly fine with how everything had gone down.

No, what was on his mind was his vassal; specifically, how his feelings towards her had changed so drastically. It was scary how deeply they had connected, but he found that the fear subsided quite easily. In fact, he found himself…comfortable with the connection. Dare he say, he was anxious to see if it would deepen further.

What honestly scared him was what would happen next. _Fear of the Unknown_ as some would label it. He already saw Grayfia as someone precious to him; someone he would put himself out there for. However, she was placing herself ahead of his other precious people, slowly becoming more and more important to him.

What was this feeling?

What described feelings that went beyond care or fondness?

Was _this_ what love is?

He didn't know, for he had never known love beyond that of family. In his eyes, everyone he deemed precious was family to him. Sarutobi was his wise and caring grandfather figure. Iruka was the older brother trying to help him become a man. Teuchi was like an uncle who would visit frequently, while Ayame was the doting older sister who looked out for him. Cat from the ANBU was like a sister as well; but she had become more of a motherly figure over the past couple of years.

Even his team had become family. Anko, like Ayame and Cat, was an older sister; except one that loved to tease him while teaching him how to let loose. Yakumo, surprisingly, was like a younger sister he wanted to watch out for; considering the pain they both experienced. As for Ty Lee, he didn't know enough about her; but he was willing to bet she'd become another sisterly figure in his life.

And lastly, there was Hana. While they started off rough (understatement), she did apologize and help him study field medicine. They had put aside their differences over time, and she had become another member of his family; becoming yet another sister to the blonde Uzumaki.

This meant his current family consisted of a grandfather, an older brother, three older sisters, a motherly figure, and a younger sister.

But what was Grayfia to him? What role did she play in his family? The woman didn't fit into _any_ of the previous categories! She wasn't a sister, mother, aunt, grandmother, or _anything_ like those roles. Instead she was… She was…

 _'What_ is _she to me?'_ he asked himself, nearly giving into the impulse to pull his hair in frustration. _'Why is she so much more than the others? I don't know what any of this means!'_

 _ **"** **By the Sage, you're annoying,"**_ a voice spoke up, making him tense before woodenly looking to his cloth-covered stomach.

 _'K-Kyuubi…?'_

 _ **"** **Who else can speak to you like this?"**_ was the rhetorical reply before Naruto found his surroundings changed. Standing before a massive set of bars, he found himself staring at red eyes hidden by shadows while water was pooled around his ankles. _**"Nice to finally meet my jailor. You don't look much compared to my previous hosts."**_

"Previous hosts?" the Uzumaki repeated. "Who are you talking about?"

 _ **"** **Your mother, for starters."**_

"Mom? She held you too?" His blue eyes were wide in surprise.

 _ **"** **Yes, before I was ripped out of her on the night of your birth."**_ The Bijuu revealed its full form from the shadows, stopping any comments or questions from the blonde with its very presence. _**"Before you waste your breath with pointless questions, I'll save you the trouble. Yes, someone attacked on the night you were born and tried to claim my power for their own. They succeeded for a moment, since my memory has a large blank moment in it of that night."**_

"B-But who attacked my mom?" Naruto asked, his tone pleading for answers.

 _ **"** **I don't know,"**_ the fox answered truthfully. _**"They claimed to be Madara Uchiha,"**_ Naruto's eyes widened in recognition of one of the village founders, _**"but I'd recognize that damnable chakra of his anywhere; and that masked attacker didn't feel anything like that man."**_

"But wait… How did they control you?"

 _ **"** **The Sharingan can grow powerful enough to control us Bijuu. Whoever the person behind that mask was, they had a Sharingan powerful enough to control me at full power. When I was released from their control, I found myself away from the village where they retreated away from your father. My assumption is that he freed me; though, that didn't stop him from taking that freedom**_ **away** _ **by splitting my power in half and sealing it away into you."**_

"He…split you in two?" Naruto repeated, not sure he heard right.

 _ **"** **Yes, by means of the Reaper Death Seal which summons the Shinigami in exchange for the caster's soul. Your father sealed away my Yin Chakra into himself while the Yang Chakra – also known as ME – into you. Afterwards, he was taken into the Shinigami's stomach for eternal torment."**_

"Dad…" he whispered sadly before he perked up slightly. "What about mom?"

 _ **"…** **She died from the stress of childbirth and me being ripped from her. Most Jinchūriki die just from the removal of a Bijuu; but you Uzumaki are damn resilient. It took something**_ **extra** _ **to make that woman kick the bucket."**_

"Wait… So," he swallowed hard, feeling immense guilt, "mom died…because of me?"

 _ **"** **Idiot!"**_ roared the Kyuubi, the force making Naruto fall back while he looked fearfully up at the fox. _**"Did you just ignore everything else I said?! Whoever attacked your mother and ripped me from her was responsible for her death;**_ **not you** _ **!"**_ Black lips tugged back as the beast growled at him. _**"I despise humans, but a mere handful have gained my grudging respect; your mother being one of them. And out of that respect, I won't have you blame yourself for her death."**_

Naruto nodded rapidly, still afraid of the great beast's anger.

 _ **"** **If there was anyone else to blame, it'd be me. After all, a claw to the body isn't exactly good for**_ **anyone's** _ **health."**_

"…You killed her?"

 _ **"** **I finished it, yes. She was already on death's doorstep after everything she had gone through. Though, if it makes you feel any better, she died to keep you safe."**_

"…Because you tried to kill me," the blonde spoke up in realization, frowning at the fox.

 _ **"** **Yes,"**_ the Bijuu confirmed, not bothering to lie. _**"I had been sealed away twice, used many times by humans who didn't even bother to take my feelings into consideration. Knowing I would be sealed away AGAIN pushed me over the edge; which led me to try and destroy what I would be sealed into."**_

"Me," Naruto finished softly. "I see…"

 _ **"** **No, you don't. You've got a lot to try and sort out, and until you do, you won't truly understand."**_ Resting its head on its forelimbs, the Kyuubi turned its crimson eyes towards his blue ones. _**"Come back when you've dealt with everything I've said. I want you to have a clear head when we speak further."**_

"Further?"

 _ **"** **Like I said, clear your head before coming back. Besides, you already had something else on your mind before I brought you here."**_ It smirked at his look of realization. _**"To put an end to that internal debate you were having, you're starting to view that Devil as more important than others. Your mother went through the same situation you are going through when she became interested in your father."**_ Crimson eyes rolled in annoyance. _**"She was insufferable whenever she tried to**_ **figure out** _ **what she was feeling…"**_

Awkwardly, the young Uzumaki excused himself and exited his subconscious. When his blue eyes blinked back into focus, he saw that the sun was still in its previous position; if anything, slightly lower. "Huh… Time moves differently in there, I guess…"

"Differently in where, Naruto-sama?" a familiar voice questioned from behind him, making him jump in surprise and turn around to see Grayfia looking at him in concern. "Are you alright? I've never caught you off guard like that before."

"I-I'm fine," he answered, giving a shaky smile. "I was just lost in thought and didn't notice you coming."

She gave a worried frown before her features softened. "Alright. Would you care to discuss what you were thinking about? I'm willing to listen to whatever troubles you."

To her slight surprise, his cheeks flushed slightly and he gave a nervous laugh. "N-No, I'll be alright! I was just uh… Just thinking over the mission! Yeah, that's it! Hahaha!"

She raised a brow at his actions, standing there as his forced laugh slowly died down as his nerves grew. Closing her eyes, she gave a soft sigh before stepping forward. She caught him by surprise when she placed her hands on his shoulders and drew him in for a gentle embrace; one that made his cheeks become enflamed.

"I wish you wouldn't be so guarded around me, Naruto-kun," she whispered, making his blush die down. "I want to help you, but I can't do that if you won't let me."

Guilt tore at him, and he slowly raised his arms to wrap them around her; this time catching _her_ by surprise. "I _do_ trust you, Grayfia-chan," he whispered back. "I'm just…trying to figure things out. I promise to tell you, but I…" He trembled for a brief instant. "I need time…"

Pulling away with her hands still on his shoulders, she gave her young Master a small smile. "I understand. Just know that I'll be waiting for you when you're ready, Naruto-sama."

He gave a weak smile back, and she was able to see through his eyes just how much he was trying to reassure her. Seeing that was enough for her, and she raised a hand to cup one of his cheeks gently before she stepped back and walked away.

Left alone, Naruto dropped his smile for a sad look, sitting down on the deck and leaning back against the railing. "…I hate doing that to her…"

"I can tell," another familiar voice spoke up, making him turn his head and see Anko sitting on the railing itself, her legs kicking carelessly as she watched the slowly setting sun.

"Sensei…"

"None of that right now, gaki," she cut off, turning her head to look down at him with an assuring smile. "Let's talk about how you're feeling about Ms. Chambermaid."

* * *

By the time the moon was highest in the sky, Anko was seated on the deck beside her first student, leaning back against the railing just as he was. In her mouth was the empty skewer of dango she had packed for the mission by means of a storage scroll. She still loved how food could stay fresh in those things; even if it still had a perishable date.

"Sounds like you're really struggling with this," she finally commented. "Can't say I blame you, though; considering what you've gone through."

"Yeah…" he replied softly, hugging his legs and resting his chin on his knees. "Any advice?"

"Not yet, but I do have a couple of questions. Maybe your answers will help you figure out what to do on your own."

"I'll try anything."

"Good. Now first question: How do you feel whenever you're around her?"

"Alone or with others?"

"Both."

He furrowed his brows in thought. "When with others, it feels nice to have someone who supports me like she does. I also like how she helps me…and just having her around."

"And when you're alone?"

"…I get anxious," he answered slowly, trying to find the words to say. "I know that she cares about me and does whatever she could for my sake, but…a small part of me can't help but think it's only because she keeps calling herself my maid; even when I know that's not true."

"Your past is clouding your thoughts," deduced Anko, using her knowledge of reading people. It was practically a demanded requirement for those who worked with Ibiki in the I.T. Department of the village.

"I don't mean for it to," he weakly defended. "It just…does."

"I know, kid," she assured, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "You've had some shit luck growing up, and that luck led to some situations that shaped you into who you are. And who you are is a poor kid who had some bad run-ins with overly sensitive women; which makes you unconsciously nervous around them."

He stayed silent, letting her talk; even if everything she said were things he already knew.

"But then, along comes an injured woman – bleeding and weak – and those feelings of anxiety fly out the window. All you can think about is making sure she'll be okay; even if that meant taking her to your home and risking anyone see you and come up with stories."

He winced at that oversight. If anyone had seen him carrying an unconscious woman, no doubt bad rumors would spread like wildfire.

"So, you take her to your home, patch her up, and ask for nothing in return. Instead of just taking your kindness for granted, she chooses to pledge herself to you, which no doubt was the _last thing_ you expected." He nodded. "But, for some odd reason, you accept her offer and she becomes your maid-slash-vassal."

He had to hand it to the violet-haired woman. She sure knew how to go over events easily; almost like she was reading a report of them out loud.

"So, as the days go by, she does her duty as your maid and starts to make improvements to your life; saying that it is _all for her master_. You don't feel fully comfortable about that, for obvious reasons, and you keep trying to tell her that she isn't some servant to you." She looks to him seriously. "The next few things I'm going to throw out my own assumptions and theories; so, correct me if I get any of them wrong."

He nodded once.

"Okay. So, eventually, she says something that gets your attention. It could be that she agrees she isn't a servant, that she genuinely wants to help you, or that she views you as more than just her _master_."

Remembering the night that she first shared a bed with him, he fought a blush and said, "The last one…"

She nodded at that and continued. "So, because she said that, you started to view the _arrangement_ between the two of you differently. Instead of seeing her as what she consistently declared she was to public ears, you started to see her as a companion; someone you could come to see as close to you." He nodded again at her words. "However, while you were trying to figure out where to place her in terms of _bonds_ , she already decided how _she_ sees _you_ ; which made her determined to get you to understand just what she chose. That determination broke through whatever emotional defenses you put up, and it caught you off guard."

"Yeah…" he softly admitted.

"But, you realize now that you're not as worried about your defenses as you feel you should be. Instead, you find yourself accepting that they were brought down, and it scares you how easily you've done so. You're still trying to figure out how you see her…but she's already made her choice _and_ she's finally gotten through to you on what it is."

He gave a weak chuckle at that. "You're good, Anko-chan. You see right through me. So, what should I do?"

"I said I had a couple of questions, kid. I only asked you one; so, that leaves me with one more."

"And that is…?"

"If she were to disappear from your life _forever_ …how would you feel?"

He stilled in surprise at the question. "W-What…?"

"You heard me," she urged, standing up and stretching her stiff muscles. "Think it over. I'm sure you already know the answer. After all, _I_ already know it."

Walking away, she gave him a lazy wave over her shoulder and left him to his thoughts. He frowned as he tried to imagine the recent moments of his life without Grayfia in them. Each point in time with her in it, he mentally removed her from the scene…and it hurt.

It hurt him to just try and strip her from his life; comparing it to trying to tear his heart out of his chest while he was still alive. Slowly, blue eyes opened wider as their depths brightened in realization.

"Grayfia," he spoke aloud to no one, standing up to try and find her.

"Yes, Naruto-sama?" she spoke up, making him turn to see her standing across from him. She gave him a small smile beneath the moonlight, making her almost glow in the evening.

He took a breath and stepped up to her, stopping when he was within arm's reach of her form. "I… I think I'm ready…"

Her gaze softened, becoming warmer as her smile grew faintly. "I'm glad to hear that."

"I'm sorry for making you wait… But, I'm ready to tell you everything."

"Everything?" she repeated curiously.

He nodded once. "I guess the best place to start would be when I had a bad run-in with Hana of the Inuzuka Clan…"

* * *

"…and I couldn't help but feel intimidated by what was happening," finished the blonde. "I've never experienced anything like this before; and my past luck wasn't exactly helpful to what I was trying to figure out."

She stood silently, taking in everything that he had said. It all made sense to her; especially with how terrified he became when he saw her body for the first time. Absently, she made a mental note to thank Hana when she met the young woman.

After all, if the Inuzuka hadn't taught Naruto how to be a field medic, he wouldn't have been able to patch her up when he first found her. Naruto saved her life, but Hana gave him the means to do so.

"I think I understand now," she finally spoke up. "While I wish I knew of this beforehand, I don't blame you whatsoever for keeping it to yourself. And I apologize for anything I put you through when I unintentionally brought up such thoughts."

"No!" he urged, making her blink in surprise at his outburst. "Don't apologize for that. I won't have you blame yourself for something you didn't even know about. It's unfair to you, and you don't deserve that."

She slowly smiled at that and nodded. "Shall we just move past that then?"

"I'd like that," he agreed with a small smile of his own.

"Good." She took a step closer to him, gray eyes staring directly into blue. "So…I can't help but wonder about just what you decided." Her smile softened at his reddening cheeks. "You are aware of how I feel, and of how I will never choose to hurt you. But…" her voice lowered to just above a whisper, "how do you feel, Naruto?"

His hands were rested at his sides, twitching closed a couple of times as he made himself keep his gaze on hers. He wouldn't turn away from her; not anymore. Not when he realized _exactly_ what he wanted.

Shakily, he raised his right hand up to her face, hesitantly resting the palm against her cheek. The contact made her eyes close as she savored the warmth his hand gave against her skin, pleased to feel him stop trembling after a few moments. When her silver orbs opened once more, she saw that he was giving her a genuine smile; one that Anko and Sarutobi had told her he rarely showed outside of people he cherished.

"I…" he started, pausing to take a breath before his gaze grew determined. "I want to…try," he finally answered. "If… If you really want this, Grayfia-chan…then I want to try it, too." He saw her smile grow warmer, giving him the courage to continue. "You make me feel safer than I've ever felt before. You give me constant support and make me want to better myself; to become a person worthy of having such a wonderful person like you constantly declare herself their maid." He chuckled bashfully, "Even when I keep telling you that you're not a simple maid to me."

Her eyes grew misty at his words, one tear slowly rolling down her left cheek; which prompted him to instinctively rub it away with his thumb.

"I think that…I might be falling for you, Grayfia-chan," he finished, his voice soft while the moonlight lit up the blues of his eyes.

Another tear fell, and her left hand reached up to grasp his right. Guiding him, she had his hand rub her cheek softly before she moved closer to him. "I'm happy to hear you say those words, Naruto-kun," she replied before she leaned down slightly, her lips inches from his own, "because I already love you."

With that, she closed the distance and softly melded her lips against his own; sharing her first kiss with her beloved master. Her arms moved over his shoulders while his moved around her waist, deepening the kiss they shared while their hearts practically left orbit with how much they had soared. Hers because she finally won his heart and his because he heard the words he had yearned for all his life.

Lifetimes, eons, even infinity could've passed by them, and they didn't care as they just savored the feeling shared between one another. When they finally pulled away, his cheeks were practically atomic while hers were slightly flushed. They said nothing more, simply sharing a tender smile before they moved to the bow of the ship's deck. She stood behind him, being little more than a head taller than he was, and wrapped her arms around him as her chin rested atop his blonde locks. He, in turn, leaned against her and held onto her arms as they stared across the ocean and to the starry horizon.

Human and Devil…finding love in one another. It was a thought that made them both smile just a bit wider.

* * *

After the boat docked in the port town closest to the Hidden Leaf, Teams 9 and 11 all took off for home at full speed. For Ty Lee, this was a good exercise since it forced her to use chakra and get a better feel for it moving through her body. But still, the others kept an eye on her in case she started to tire. Yakumo was also watched because of her past physical weakness thanks to her demon.

Despite having to take a few stops to rest, the two teams made it back to the Leaf in a couple of days. During those breaks, Anko decided to get her students trained to act as the three-member unit they were meant to be. She had them do mock battles with her, letting them work out the kinks of their teamwork on their own so that it settled more naturally. It was no surprise to her that Ty Lee and Naruto acted as the frontline combatants while Yakumo was more suited to ranged attacks (thanks to specializing in genjutsu).

Ty Lee would need to be tested for her affinity when they got back, as well as taught the basics of handseals and what they meant for jutsu. At this, Anko couldn't help but smirk as she remembered that Iruka owed her a favor; one she intended to cash in. Although, despite the newest member of Team 11 not knowing too much about chakra, Anko had to admit that the girl knew how to take people down. Those jabs of hers were damn efficient, and her knowledge of pressure points would only be an advantage she would have over her opponents.

Yakumo had finally gotten a solid grasp on the first exercise for Lightning Style. When she demonstrated this for her sensei, Anko had rewarded her with a jutsu scroll that detailed a basic Lightning jutsu. _Electromagnetic Murder_ was a lower ranked jutsu that could be enhanced with better control; something Yakumo had in spades due to her genjutsu studies. Anko had no doubt she would get a good grasp of the jutsu.

For Naruto, he was nearly there with his first exercise; but he was close enough for Anko to give him the scroll for the _Great Breakthrough_ technique. When she had taken time to ask Asuma for his input, he had suggested giving Naruto that jutsu since it was one of the most basic. Seeing as he was one of the rare few Wind users in the village, she heeded his advice without question.

Another thing Naruto did was look over his reward for the mission. The Uzumaki scroll he had received were personal notes for an Uzumaki who had once served the Crescent Moon Kingdom before they had passed away from old age. It was their hope that the scroll would be given to a surviving member of the clan; something that had been fulfilled through Naruto.

Most of the notes dealt with advanced knowledge of space-time; with a greater emphasis on the spatial aspect of the matter. According to what he could decipher, Naruto saw that it was the owner's hope to break through the laws of reality and attempt to find, in their own words, _a new world_.

At first, he wanted to label his late clan member as overzealous, but Grayfia reminded him of her own origins and how the Underworld she was born in was connected with an Earth that was vastly different than the one the ninja world resided in. That argument made Naruto take a better look at the notes, silently making plans to study them thoroughly and see if he could find Grayfia's world with them.

The oddest thing about those notes was how the very center of the sealing circle had the image of two snakes eating their own tails while they both made an infinity symbol. He was also unaware of it flashing violet when he brushed his fingers against it, his chakra causing a reaction.

* * *

"Well, it seems that this new generation of Genin has had similar mishaps with their first C-Ranks one after another," mused the Hokage after he received the reports from Guy and Anko.

"Sir?" Guy asked curiously.

"Team 7 had a mission to Wave Country, which wound up being bumped up to A-Rank because of the appearance of Zabuza Momochi of the Hidden Mist Swordsmen."

"The wielder of the Executioner's Blade?!" Tenten cried out with starry eyes, her obsession with famous weapons surfacing within her.

This made the aged village leader chuckle as he nodded. "The very same. Teams 8 and 10 are still on their missions; but with these last two reports, I wouldn't be surprised if they both dealt with similar issues."

"Well, the ninja involved on this mission were unaffiliated," Guy explained, nodding to the reports. "I made sure to note that in my report."

"Yes, I noticed that. Still, your team did well in helping you take them out, Guy." Team 9 perked up at the praise. "As for Team 11, congratulations on your newest member. May I have your name so that I could make your registration legal, young lady?"

The acrobat bowed politely as she introduced herself. "Ty Lee, sir. I don't have a surname."

"That's fine," assured the man as he filled out the information and stamped it, marking it as official. He then reached into one of his desk drawers and withdrew a headband that had a red cloth on it; seeing her current color scheme and going off that. "Welcome to the Hidden Leaf, Ty Lee of Team 11."

She smiled brightly and took the headband before wrapping around her left thigh. "Thank you, Hokage-sama."

"Well, you're all dismissed. Naruto, I'd like you to stay behind a moment."

The blonde nodded and stayed in place while the others left; Ty Lee giving her new friend a grateful hug for helping her become a kunoichi before she left the office. Grayfia stayed behind as well, standing diligently behind her master.

"A meeting with my Council and the Clan Heads will be happening tomorrow. I'd like you and Sasuke to attend so that you can get your first experience with your duties as Clan Heirs."

"Oh! Yeah, I'll be there," agreed the Genin. "I've been wondering when I'd have my first meeting with you and the Council." A thought came to him and he asked, "Will Grayfia-chan be able to attend? I think she could keep me focused on the meeting and help me understand it better."

"I don't see a problem with it. Now, I want you and Sasuke to meet me here at noon tomorrow and I'll escort you both to the Council Room."

"Got it. Thanks for the heads-up, Old Man." Grayfia cleared her throat, making Naruto cough awkwardly. "I mean, thank you, Hokage-sama."

Sarutobi chuckled at that, giving the silverette maid a nod in thanks. "I think I must insist on you accompanying Naruto to the meeting after that, Lucifuge-san."

Bowing to the man, Grayfia replied, "I will fulfill my duty, Hokage-sama."

Naruto pouted at the subtle teasing, leaving the office with an annoyed grumble that made Sarutobi and Grayfia chuckle. She gave the man one last nod before following Naruto out of the office.

* * *

In a place that was an endless void of iridescent colors, a pair of gray eyes opened and a slender black brow raised. A small hand raised up as the eyes looked at the palm, seeing an Ouroboros symbol light up on the pale skin.

"Someone found the scroll," an apathetic voice spoke, sounding like it belonged to a young girl. Willing the symbol away, she closed her gray eyes again while her pointed ears twitched in annoyance at the sound of heavy air distortions in the distance. "…Perhaps this may be beneficial in the future," she mused, wondering if this was a sign.

After all, anything that could get rid of that annoyance was a good thing to her.

* * *

 **Tada! The chapter is now finished!**

 **Been a while since I updated, and I'm confident enough to say that I'm pleased with what I came up with!**

 **Naruto and Grayfia are finally together! Who else is happy about this?!**

 **But what's this? Naruto has found something that could lead him to The Void? How will a certain Infinity Goddess handle this?**

 **You'll have to stay tuned to find out!**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


	7. Chapter 7: Councils and Newcomers

**A thousand apologies, my patient readers. It's been too long since I updated this story.**

 **Allow me to rectify that.**

 **Disclaimer:** _ **pain17ification**_ **owns nothing**

* * *

 _A Sun's Devilish Maid_

 _Chapter Seven: Councils and Newcomers_

* * *

The following morning, Naruto was seen in the study of his new home, looking over the Uzumaki scroll he had received during the Crescent Moon Kingdom mission. Opened next to the scroll was his mother's notebook on sealing, and he was hoping to find anything that would help him decipher the scroll more clearly.

Grayfia walked in carrying a small tray with some eggs and tea. "Naruto-sama? Would you like to take a break and eat?"

"In a little bit," he answered distractedly, most of his attention on the task before him. "I'm still trying to figure this out…"

She sighed at that, setting the tray down on a small table before moving over to his side. "Naruto-sama, that scroll and your mother's notes aren't going anywhere. You've more than enough time to look it over later. You need to eat and prepare for your first Council Meeting."

He turned to her, ready to argue his case; but he saw that she was standing firm on this. So, with a small sigh, he relented. "Alright. I'll continue this later."

"Good. Also, a ninja hound dropped this off a moment ago," she added, pulling out a scroll with the Inuzuka Clan insignia on it.

"A scroll from the Inuzuka?" he queried, taking it from her and unrolling it to read. After a moment, he set it down with a confused expression. "It's from Hana. She wants to see me after the Council Meeting. I guess Tsume told her that Sasuke and I would be attending this one."

"Odd. What would Hana-san need to see you for? And why would she send a scroll in favor of coming to you personally?"

"I'm not sure; but, I guess we'll find out when we go see her. For now," he chuckled sheepishly as his stomach growled, "I'm pretty hungry, and you were right about me needing to get ready for the meeting."

She smirked at his expression, setting the tray of food before him to eat. "You'd best fill that pit of yours, Naruto-sama; part of it, at least."

"Hey! My stomach isn't _that_ bottomless!" he argued with a pout.

"Of course not, Naruto-sama," she agreed smoothly, earning a satisfied nod from her beloved master. Without missing a beat, she continued, "It's more akin to an endless void than a pit."

Choking on his eggs comically, the whiskered blonde whined out, "Grayfia-chan!"

* * *

It was a vastly different experience than times before for Naruto as he stepped into the Hokage Tower, being led to the Council Chamber by one of the Chunin that guarded the building. The times he had been her had either been to receive a mission or to simply visit Old Man Hokage. Now, he was here as a member of the village's more influential party, and it was making his stomach flip in anxiety.

He was immensely grateful to the Hokage for allowing Grayfia to join him during the Council Meeting, her presence alone doing wonders for calming his nerves. She walked calmly beside him, no doubt used to this kind of atmosphere from the stories she told him of her previous master.

"The other members of the Council should be in here," the Chunin informed Naruto, opening the door for him. "Good luck, kid. You and that Uchiha kid are the youngest members on this Council in years, so try not to get too overwhelmed, yeah?"

"Thanks," Naruto bid as he and Grayfia stepped inside, taking in the moderately spacious room with a circular seating ring that reminded him of a round table that was open in the center.

Inside the room were most of the other Clan Heads; Sasuke and the Hyuuga Clan Head being the only ones yet to arrive. Tsume paused in her conversation with Chouza Akamichi, giving Naruto a small grin as she beckoned him and Grayfia over.

When the two were close enough, she greeted, "Glad that you made it, pup. This will be a good experience for you and the Uchiha pup."

"Old Man Hokage said the same thing when he told me what my duties as Clan Head would entail," he agreed, smiling at the easy atmosphere Tsume had created for him. While Naruto was slightly on edge around older women, he had spoken to Tsume a couple of times and had a general idea of how she interacted with others. "How are Hana and Kiba?"

"They're doing well," she answered before she gestured to Grayfia with her head. "Care to introduce your vassal?"

"Oh, right! This is Grayfia Lucifuge. But, how did you know she was a vassal?"

"Her outfit for starters," Tsume pointed out in amusement. "Unless she has some sorta maid fetish?"

Naruto choked on his spit, his cheek turning slightly red. "N-No! She's just-! I mean-!"

Grayfia placed her hand on his shoulder to cease his babbling. "Breathe, Naruto-sama. She's riling you up."

Chouza laughed boisterously at the byplay. "The boy's face was priceless! Congrats, Tsume! Looks like you managed to prank the Prankmaster from Hell!"

Tsume shared a low-five with her old friend while Kuromaru chuckled beside her. "Relax, boy," the veteran ninken eased Naruto. "If you react like this so easily, then other members on this Council could use that to their advantage."

"He's right, Uzumaki-san," someone else spoke up, and Naruto turned to see Ino's father, Inoichi Yamanaka, walking over to them with Shikaku Nara, Shikamaru's father, casually walking behind him. "A calm mind isn't just valuable out on missions. It's also a must for these meetings," he gave the younger blonde a kind smile and finished, "as well as for someone aiming to lead a Hidden Village."

Taking a small breath, Naruto nodded in thanks for the advice. "Thanks for the lesson then, I guess."

"It is only logical for the older generation to prepare the current and future generations for what they will face," Shibi Aburame, Shino's father, added as he spoke up from his seat. "While those younger than us may disregard our words and teachings, we say it for their benefit."

"As troublesome as it is," Shikaku continued, "we need to pass on our experiences so that the good ones can continue, and the bad ones can end. It might sound childish, but it's still what we all aim for."

"I understand," Naruto assured them. "Thanks again, and I'll be sure to listen to whatever advice you all might pass onto me." He looked down slightly and continued, "At first, my reasons for being the Hokage were pretty selfish since I only wanted to be recognized and respected by the village; but, recently I've realized that the Hokage isn't just some powerful ninja with a cool hat."

The adults chuckled at that, and Grayfia had a faint smile at her master's truer self being presented for his fellow Clan Heads.

"The Hokage is more than that, though. They're supposed to be someone the village could depend on, someone who could help keep them safe and guide them forward to a better future. Sometimes," thoughts of his father came up, "the Hokage needs to make sacrifices for the sake of everyone in the village; even if that sacrifice is their life."

At this point, Hiashi Hyuuga had stepped in and heard what Naruto had been saying about _sacrifices_. He kept silent as he waited to hear what else the young Uzumaki had to say.

"You all knew my dad," Naruto continued. "He may have been Hokage for a small time, but he didn't hesitate to sacrifice himself for the village…and for me." His hand rested on the seal holding the Kyuubi back. "Mom gave her life for me, too… They both believed that I was worth dying for, and I want to become Hokage so that I can prove that their lives weren't traded for mine in vain." He looked up and faced the Clan Heads with his blue eyes brimming in determination. "Someday…I'll become Hokage and make them proud."

Sasuke had entered the room with the Elders and the Hokage at the tail end of Naruto's speech, and the Uchiha had to grudgingly respect Naruto's convictions. He may have been a class clown with poor scores in the Academy, but Sasuke knew that there was more to the blonde than that. Despite the numerous failures and how people brought him down, he always got back up stronger than before.

The Hokage smiled at Naruto's words, pleased that he had honest reasons for becoming the next leader of the village besides the admittedly childish ones he had before. _'Your parents are already proud of you, Naruto,'_ he thought before he got the attention of his Council. "Alright, everyone please take their seats so that we may begin this meeting."

Naruto took his place between Sasuke and Inoichi, seeing as the placements were alphabetical based on the Clan's name. Absently, he found that the Kurama Clan didn't have a Head present, and this made him frown slightly. He wanted to give whoever was in charge a piece of his mind for the mistreatment of his friend and teammate.

"First off," the Hokage began, "how go the preparations for security and lodgings for our incoming guests?"

"They're nearly ready, sir," Shikaku answered. Due to being the Jonin Commander, he was put in charge of those tasks. "We just need to prepare for any _preferences_ that the dignitaries may have. Security has been finalized, at least."

"Good." He then turned to the youngest Council Members and explained, "The Chunin Exams are approaching, which means that important dignitaries from other countries will be coming here to the Hidden Leaf. We're hosting them this time, so that puts us in charge of making sure that they're comfortable and well-protected."

That got their interest. "Will there be any meetings during the Exams, sir?" Naruto asked, making sure to be respectful. Grayfia had drilled it into him the night before, even promising to _remind_ him if he forgot.

"Normally, yes. However, seeing as you and Sasuke will no doubt be taking part in them, we'll wait until they are finished before meeting again."

"Before we continue," an Elder, who was covered in a surprising number of bandages, cut in, "the two of you need to understand the contributions that each of the Clans of the Leaf give to the village."

"Who are you?" Sasuke interrupted, showing slight annoyance. "I thought the Hokage was the one speaking."

"Beside me are my Elder Council," Sarutobi explained. "They are Homura Mitokado," the Elder wearing glasses nodded politely, "Koharu Utatane," the female Elder gave a nod as well, "and Danzo Shimura."

Danzo merely regarded the Uchiha and Uzumaki silently, making Naruto slightly uncomfortable while Grayfia fought a frown at how his energy felt. "What did you mean by _contributions_ , Danzo-san?" Naruto asked, his voice nearly hiding his discomfort.

"Each Clan either gives a service or brings in some sort of product for the Hidden Leaf to make sure that it continues to thrive. For example, the Aburame and Inuzuka Clans make up the bulk of our Hunter Squads while the Nara Clan takes care of a unique species of deer because of the medicinal properties of their antlers," the man answered. "Before the Uchiha were nearly wiped out," he ignored the scowl on Sasuke's face, "they oversaw the village's Police Force."

"And my Clan?" Naruto pressed.

"The Uzumaki Clan had very few members that stayed in the village, Naruto," Sarutobi explained. "Kushina had plans to provide seals for the ninja forces. Unfortunately…"

"She was killed before she could," Naruto finished sadly, earning nods from the Hokage and Elders. "I'll try to find her notes and come up with something," he promised.

"Glad to hear it. Now, Sasuke," the Uchiha looked to the Hokage, "your situation may be a bit more difficult to sort out. Most of your people made up the bulk of the Police Force, and it would be admittedly foolish to give you such a responsibility of overseeing them considering your inexperience and age."

"I could give them funds," Sasuke offered calmly. "The Uchiha treasury should have enough for me to put some money aside and contribute to the village."

"That would be fine," Sarutobi agreed with a small smile. "Hopefully in the future, you'll be able to take up your father's old position with the Police Force."

Sasuke said nothing in response to that, not showing any interest in his father's old responsibilities. The Hokage and Elders already knew where most of his interest was place; the death of Itachi.

"When should I have the seals ready, Hokage-sama?" Naruto spoke up. "I might not have much time with the upcoming Exams."

"Understandable," the Hokage agreed. "Try to have something to present not long after the Exams are finished. We'll watch you demonstrate it and judge its quality."

Nodding, the blonde Uzumaki replied, "I'll do my best, sir."

"Now, with that out of the way, let's go over the security measures for the Exams."

* * *

The meeting lasted just shy of an hour after that, and Naruto was stretching as he walked down the streets next to Tsume, Kuromaru, and Grayfia. "Man, I don't think I've ever sat still that long before."

Chuckling in amusement, Tsume replied, "At least we don't have meetings that often. They're usually monthly, unless something important has occurred and we need to discuss it right away."

"That seems like a steady rate of discussion, Inuzuka-sama," Grayfia noted. "How often has something important required an emergency meeting?"

"Only a few times since I was part of the Council. I'm not sure how often it was before that; but, I'd guess that those meetings were more frequent during the Great Wars."

Naruto frowned at that. "I hope we don't have to go through that…"

"I do too, pup. I took part in the Third Great War, and that was more than enough for me. I don't want my children or your generations to have to go through that."

"War is…cruel," Grayfia spoke up softly, earning Naruto's attention. "I'm tempted to pray you won't have to experience it, Naruto-sama."

Knowing the significance of what she was saying, Naruto offered her a small smile. "Let's hope it never has to come to that, Grayfia-chan."

She returned the smile as the small group approached the Inuzuka Compound. "Hana should be in her clinic, pup," Tsume informed Naruto. "You know your way there."

"Yeah, thanks," he bid as he and Grayfia made their way there. Entering the clinic, Naruto was greeted to the familiar sight of Hana looking over one of the ninken puppies while many other pups played together in one of the pens. "Hey, Hana."

"Glad you could make it," she returned, continuing her checkup of the puppy. "Give me a second and I'll be right with you."

"Take your time," Naruto replied as he approached the pen and crouched down as the pups all scrambled for the thick plastic gate that separated them from the blonde. He chuckled at their excitement, reaching through the opening to pet some of them.

Grayfia, meanwhile, used the time to look over the person who was both a negative and positive influence in the life of her beloved master. Before her was the woman who mentally scarred him, but later gave him the skills that had saved her life. She was on the fence on how to regard the woman, torn between general politeness or clipped curtness.

A few minutes later, Hana was finished and she set the pup into the pen with the others, where it immediately joined in on the fun they were having. Standing up with Naruto, she offered him a friendly smile and ruffled his hair affectionately. "Good to see you again, Naruto. How's the ninja life been for you so far?"

"It's been great. I have an awesome sensei, great teammates, and we had our C-Rank bumped up to B-Rank."

"B-Rank, eh? Don't let it get to your head though, Squirt."

"I'm not _that_ short," he grumbled, earning a laugh from her before she noticed Grayfia.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Hana Inuzuka," she greeted.

"Grayfia Lucifuge," the she-devil returned politely, deciding to give Hana a chance. "I'm Naruto-sama's maid and vassal."

"Maid, huh?" Hana repeated, raising a brow at Naruto. "I'm sure there's a _very_ interesting story involved here, but I won't pry. It isn't my business." She then beckoned Naruto and Grayfia to follow her to the back room of her clinic, which was actually an office where her three ninken were waiting for her. "Hey, boys," she greeted, earning happy barks from them while a red-furred puppy poked its head up from where they were all curled up.

"The boys have puppies?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No," the Inuzuka Heiress answered, picking up the small ninken. "This one here actually lost her parents recently, and I've been helping her early development." She smiled to the Uzumaki and added, "She's actually why I asked you to come here."

"Eh?" Naruto questioned before he was given the pup to hold. Raising her up to eye level, her amber eyes looked into his blue ones for a few seconds before she licked the tip of his nose with a happy bark.

"Good, she already likes you," Hana noted with a smile, grabbing a duffel bag that was on her chair. "You see, I've been trying to find Jenna a home for when she was old enough; but I thought that you'd be a perfect fit for her. Plus, I…" She took a breath to gather her thoughts. "…I still feel guilty about everything that happened before."

"Hana, you don't need to make up for that. You've done more than enough for me," he assured her before he looked back at Jenna.

She was a beautiful pup that red and white fur which was dark red on her ears, back, the upper parts of her legs, and the upside of her tail, and white on her facial, chest, and underside areas. She had small black markings on the tips of her ears and amber eyes while an orange bandanna was tied loosely around her neck in the back. (1)

"But, if you're asking me to look after her, then I'll do it. Will she need training like Akamaru and the Haimaru brothers?"

Nodding, Hana offered him the bag, which was taken by Grayfia to hold. "Yes, she will need to come back for more advanced lessons. She knows enough to take part on your team and join you on missions. Just make sure to get better synched with her before the Chunin Exams arrive. You should have a little over a week."

"Yeah, we just had a Council Meeting about them," Naruto confirmed. "My team is going to use every day available to prepare for them."

"Good. That should be plenty of time." She then reached over and patted Jenna on the head. "Okay girl, this will be your new partner from now on. Okay?"

Jenna tilted her head before she took another look at Naruto. Seeing him grinning at her, she barked happily and licked his nose again, making him laugh at how it tickled.

"I'm gonna take that as her agreeing," Hana joked before she took some time to go over proper care for Jenna.

It took about half an hour to go over everything, but Naruto was able to understand what he needed to know. Bidding Hana goodbye, he left the Inuzuka Compound with Grayfia and his new ninken, Jenna. The red-furred pup happily walked beside her new partner, ready to stick by him for whatever may lay ahead.

* * *

"Alright, brats!" Anko called out, getting the attention of her students. It had been a week since she had told them of the Chunin Exams, and she was proud of how far they had come. "Time for elemental jutsu demonstrations. Ty Lee, you first."

The acrobatic kunoichi nodded as she went through handseals before taking a deep breath. " _Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu_!" she declared as she blew out a stream of flames that took on a spherical shape and blasted forward. The ball of conflagration was nearly her size, which was more than enough to get people's attention, and crashed into a training dummy before setting it ablaze.

"Yakumo, go!"

Flipping through handseals, the genjutsu enthusiast had yellow sparks dancing across her finger as she stretched them forward, aiming for the burning target. " _Lightning Style: Electromagnetic Murder_!" she cried as the sparks on her hand shot outward and flew across the field before striking the target, causing the fire to burst with the electrical discharge.

"Naruto!" Anko ordered, pleased to see that he had already begun flipping through his own handseals before she even called his name.

" _Wind Style: Great Breakthrough_!" he roared, sending out a pressurized force of air that tore the ground with its power and swept up the flames surrounding the training dummy.

Seeing that the fire was about the hit the surrounding trees, Anko erected a _Mud Wall_ in its path, stopping the flames in their path and letting them die out. With that danger averted, she turned to her students with a pleased grin. "Nice work, brats. I'd say that you all made great strides in your elemental jutsu."

"Thanks, sensei," Ty Lee replied. "You were a great instructor for my Fire Style training."

"I'm just glad at least _one_ of my students shared my affinity," the violet haired woman grumbled, earning amused looks from her team. "How about your personal skills?"

"I've started to mix chakra into my fighting style. The extra force should be enough for me to finish fights quickly."

"As if numbing people _without_ chakra wasn't enough," joked the Uzumaki. "You were already scary, Ty Lee; now, you're terrifying."

She playfully stuck her tongue out at him, enjoying the atmosphere she had with her team.

"My genjutsu has improved," Yakumo spoke up. "I practiced on the two Chunin that guard that front gates of the village, and I was able to knock them out."

"What'd you show them?" Anko asked with interest, earning a smirk from Yakumo.

"I showed them a certain _Ice Queen_ in her birthday suit."

Naruto snorted at the prank while Anko laughed and Ty Lee struggled not to giggle.

After composing herself and congratulating Yakumo on her success, Anko turned to Naruto and asked, "How about you, gaki?"

"I could produce two chains from each of my arms, I've made some improvements to the basic exploding tag, and I've gotten better synched with Jenna." Said ninken barked happily in agreement, sitting diligently beside her partner.

"Nice job. I'll be sure to check out your improved explosives later. For now, take the rest of the day off. We'll continue our training tomorrow."

"Yes, sensei," the three Genin replied before she took off.

"I'll see you both tomorrow," Ty Lee bid, giving her teammates a smile before she began heading for the village center.

Yakumo was about to leave too, but Naruto cut her off. "Hey, I wanted to ask you something."

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing's _wrong_ ; I was just confused about something. During the Council Meeting, I saw that your Clan wasn't taking part. Don't you have a Clan Head?"

Yakumo shook her head with a frown. "No, we don't. The Kurama Clan is lead by three elder members who decide on future actions. We don't have a seat on the council, but we've given the village copies of some of our genjutsu studies and theories. We were actually the inspiration for Lord Second's _Bringer of Darkness_ technique."

"Isn't that the genjutsu that's rumored to leave people blind?"

"Exactly. Since our studies were a major force in the development of that genjutsu, we were given some land for the Kurama Clan to live on, and we help the village with genjutsu related concerns."

"Do you hope to lead them someday?"

Yakumo shook her head with a frown. "No. I'm not fit for leadership. Not to mention that I'd probably do something to get payback on them for how they treated me before. I don't want to put myself in that position."

"I understand," Naruto replied, nodding in agreement. "It'd be really tempting to get them back if I were in your shoes. Anyway, that's all I was wondering."

"No worries. So, what are you going to do for the rest of the day? Look over that scroll some more?"

Chuckling sheepishly, he answered, "Nah, I've been grounded from that."

"By who?" Yakumo asked in slight surprise.

"Grayfia-chan took it away from me after the third night of me staying up past midnight looking it over. She's hidden it until the Exams are over."

That made her giggle before she gained a teasing smile. "Seems like she's cementing her position in your life, Naruto."

"She's already done that," he answered smoothly, smiling at the surprise on her face. He rubbed the back of his head bashfully, cheeks slightly red as he added, "I…told her how much she meant to me on the boat ride back home."

It took Yakumo a moment to process what he said before she smiled warmly. "About time, baka. It was obvious how you felt for her. What took you so long?"

"It's complicated…"

"With you, it's _always_ complicated," she teased before she bid him goodbye.

With a sigh, Naruto crouched down and patted Jenna on the head, scratching her behind her ears. She gave a delighted whine before she leapt into his arms with an excited bark. Laughing at her actions, he rubbed her head as he headed for home.

The Chunin Exams were just a few days away, and he was excited about how they'd turn out.

* * *

It was now the evening before the Exams, and Grayfia was wide awake in the attic as she stared at the scroll she had confiscated from Naruto. Her brows were furrowed at the deep violet light that was coming from it, ready to act if something went wrong.

A brilliant flash lit up the attic she was forced to cover her eyes from the light. When it died down, her silver eyes were wide at the small person in front of her; the small person with _immeasurable_ power. There was only one being who could've had such power, something who came from a place between worlds.

"Ophis…" Grayfia whispered in shock, locking trembling eyes with the stoic gaze of the Infinite Dragon Goddess.

* * *

 **1~ Jenna is red-furred husky from the movie** _ **Balto**_ **. I loved her character, and it's one of my favorite animated movies. So, naturally, I had to bring her in! ^_^**

 **Finally updated after a very long time! Sorry again about the wait, everyone! I'll try to manage my time better, but I can't promise anything.**

 **Until next time!**

 _ **~pain17ification~**_


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